


Together

by MadeNew



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Except for Marriages, Fix-It, Fluff, Growing Up, Humor, M/M, Protective Uchiha Sasuke, Protective Uzumaki Naruto, good things come with time, in this case a lot of time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:33:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 29,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25058509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadeNew/pseuds/MadeNew
Summary: Sasuke’s never been able to separate himself from Naruto.Naruto’s never been able to let go of Sasuke.A canonverse look at how they grow together.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 349
Kudos: 455
Collections: Best of SNS, Extraordinary Naruto FanFics, Extraordinary SNS Fics💕, Foxy fox 🦊, THE naruto fic list





	1. Ambition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello y'all! So I decided to start this project off on NS day! Seemed appropriate, and I'm pretty excited about it. This fic is structured this way: each chapter will be a small snapshot into the life of either Sasuke or Naruto and will focus on their relationship, but length will vary. It is canon-compliant except for the fact that SNS is the end goal. I'm really excited about this, and I hope y'all read along with me and enjoy! :)

If there’s anything Sasuke understands, it’s the importance of timing.

It’s a lesson he first learned under a full moon and red eyes. Timing, he thinks, is what killed his parents and his clan. Timing is what allowed Itachi to escape under the night sky. Timing, he knows, is everything.

And Sasuke is nothing if not consistent, and so as time controls his life, he seeks to control it. He learns exactly _when_ to flick his wrist when he throws kunai so that it flies faster, truer, hits its mark with deadly accuracy. He works until he can predict the movement of his sparring partner, waiting for them to angle themselves just right and he can time the weight of their own strikes against them. It takes him to the top of the class, but then, he thinks that’s no surprise. No one else in the academy has to fight the second of the clock to validate their existence. No one else only lives to avenge.

Sasuke lives his life in seconds, each one carefully measured and used, in constant tension with his desire to force them by so he can reach his goal.

Which is why the first time he slips, he’s furious.

They’re throwing kunai. It’s a routine exercise for Sasuke and much needed practice for most of the class. Iruka is down at the other end scolding Shikamaru, and Kiba’s next to Sasuke, as raucous and obnoxious as always. Sasuke tunes them out. They’re white noise, at this point, and his first two kunai land perfectly.

The third –

_“I’m going to be Hokage! Just you watch!”_

It’s not like it’s the first time he’s heard this, so Sasuke isn’t sure what about it makes him jump – but jump he does, and the third kunai lands on one of the outer rings of the target.

He turns, glaring, to see Naruto on Kiba’s other side. His kunai are haphazardly strewn across the target, and there are barely restrained tears in those glowing blue eyes.

Something in Sasuke aches. He knows that look – knows that pain –

“Like you could ever be Hokage!” The cackle comes from whoever’s on Naruto’s right, someone Sasuke can’t see, and he doesn’t care to recognize the voice. Naruto, though, whirls around.

“I will be! You’ll see! I’ll be Hokage! I’ll be the greatest Hokage!” His voice breaks, and this time Kiba laughs too.

Sasuke snorts in derision.

“What?” Kiba asks, staring at him. “You think he actually could be?”

“I think you’re all losers,” Sasuke says, because it’s the truth, and he leaves them behind as he goes to get his weapons. This time, he won’t be distracted.

The next time it happens, he’s sparring. It’s with Naruto, of course, which makes sense, why he’s suddenly off-guard, but –

It shouldn’t get to him. Sasuke shifts, a step away from winning, and he hears someone in the class snicker atthe idiot who’s about to lose, again. “Always bottom of the class,” the voice says. “He’ll never be a ninja. Not to mention _Hokage._ ”

Sasuke doesn’t know why – maybe he’s just paying close enough attention to Naruto to catch it – but he sees the change in those blue eyes, sees the determination surface, and suddenly he understands: this is a boy who lives like him, lives for a future that _must_ be, because if it isn’t, there’s no purpose in the _now_.

It disorients him, and he hesitates.

Naruto dives. His fighting style is scrappy and rough, unrefined, and his fist barely grazes Sasuke’s jaw – but it’s enough to make the whisperer shut up and prolong the fight for another few minutes.

Sasuke huffs when the match ends. He’s angry – angry at himself, mostly, and largely just frustrated with Naruto. With the classmate who thinks he can decide their fate. With the world at large. He doesn’t want to interact with Naruto, but when the idiot heads home alone, Sasuke follows.

It’s at a distance, and he does think it’s a dismal tribute to Naruto’s lack of skill that he never once notices Sasuke tailing him, but he sees when Naruto stumbles slightly over the steps. The blonde pauses, kicks at the offending stone, and mumbles, “Never gonna win like this.”

Sasuke agrees. He starts to turn away, strangely dissatisfied with his venture, thinking Naruto will be like everyone else and go quietly to bed content with his own failure.

Instead, he hears running, and he turns back, curious, only to follow again – this time to a training field, where Naruto begins to hit and kick the training dummies again and again and again.

Sasuke stares.

He doesn’t understand this strange boy, who’s undoubtedly the fool everyone sees, and yet – and yet is so close to Sasuke. Close enough, with his determination and pain and work ethic, that Sasuke isn’t sure, as he watches, what separates them.

 _I am an Uchiha,_ he tells himself. _I am not like them._

His eyes follow Naruto’s movements, and his hand almost raises to correct, but –

_Not like any of them._

He turns back and goes home.

The next day, he doesn’t slip. He doesn’t miss. He pins Naruto in seconds. He doesn’t follow him home.

He does hear the voices at the back of the classroom more, now, both directed at him and Naruto. The last Uchiha. The class idiot. One revered, one scorned – neither belonging. Sasuke doesn’t know how to feel about being put in the same category. It’s infuriating, and yet – he remembers the look in Naruto’s eyes, and something deep inside softens.

He sneaks out to the training fields, later, and finds him there. He doesn’t speak. He just stands some distance away and practices with his shuriken at the different targets.

He’s starting to think that Naruto may be a semi-permanent distraction, at least until they’re out of the academy, so he might as well get used to him.

And if he corrects Naruto’s form once or twice, well.

It’s certainly not because they’re friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for chapter one! What did you think? :) See y'all next week!


	2. Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next section!! Thank you for all the encouraging comments!! I really appreciate it, and I hope y'all enjoy this one just as much :)

Naruto lives his life from person to person. He weighs each moment with everyone so it counts double than moments alone, whether it’s a fond shake of the head from Teuchi as he eats, a soft smile from the woman next door who occasionally brings him food, or, best yet, conversations with Iruka.

Naruto’s started to live his life this way, too: before Iruka and after. Before, when he soaked up every little positive interaction like a sponge, ready for any sunshine offered – and after, when he knows it’s there, even on dark days. Before Iruka, and after Iruka. He likes after a lot better.

It’s partly for this reason that he’s so excited to be put on a team. He knows most of the class doesn’t like him, but he thinks it’ll be nice to have teammates – people who have to deal with him, regularly, and it’s a chance to prove that he’s not useless like everyone says. What do they know, anyways? He’ll definitely be Hokage one day!

It’s only after Kakashi’s bell test that he thinks maybe, just maybe, there’s more to being a team than that. He doesn’t want to admit it, but Sasuke’s not _totally_ useless, and Sakura – well, Sakura’s Sakura. Naruto thinks he’ll probably always want to be around her. And he definitely wants to stay on her good side, even though he has a sneaking suspicion that may be an impossibility by now. And Kakashi has so much to teach him – Naruto just _knows_ it.

He finds that life on Team Seven has be measured differently, too, as another before and after, because the time has so much more weight to it than the smiling lady next door or Teuchi’s gruff exasperation. There is something special about the way Sakura smacks him over the head when he does something that upsets her. There’s a casual kindness in Kakashi’s careless posture as he lectures them over the edge of his book.

And there’s something _more_ about the intensity behind Sasuke that makes Naruto want to conquer it. He wants to win, to stand side by side with him and not be counted less – because he _isn’t_ less. He knows it in his soul.

He thinks Sasuke knows it, too, which might be the best part of all.

Naruto won’t say it out loud. Most of the time, Sasuke pisses him off. It annoys Naruto to no end how easy everything seems to come to that guy. Ninja work? No problem. Sakura’s attention? Gotten. And he doesn’t even want it, which Naruto finds even more infuriating.

It pisses him off enough to make him keep working harder. He hates that he keeps failing, no matter how hard he tries. He can’t seem to best Sasuke. He knows he will someday, knows they’re the same at a level he doesn’t quite understand, but he can’t seem to _prove_ it.

Still, he finds that working for it brings a joy now that it didn’t before. In the academy, he spent more nights than he can count training, working his body until he collapsed, desperate to prove that he was worthy, that he would be Hokage someday –

And everything always tasted bitter.

But now – now, when he trains with Team Seven, he finds that he can go home and sleep at night. He finds that even though he still puts in extra training, there’s something that feels kind of like victory when he falls into bed now.

He thinks maybe it’s a little bit because of Kakashi. For all Naruto’s bluster, he finds it sort of amazing that there’s a jonin out there who actually believes in his ability to become a ninja, and that lets him – just a little bit – relax. His energy doesn’t go away, but when Kakashi lays a hand on his head and ruffles his hair, Naruto feels it settle, just under his skin, and he can refocus.

Kakashi believes in him. He doesn’t want to let him down.

It might be a little bit because of Sakura, too. She may not like Naruto, and yeah, mostly he doesn’t get to have good conversations with her, just a lot of blows to the head, but – Naruto doesn’t think he’s ever had so much fun annoying someone. And she can’t get rid of him! And sometimes – just sometimes – Naruto thinks she doesn’t want to. Sometimes, when she rolls her eyes and looks away, he catches just the hint of a smile. And sure, she might be head-over-heels for Sasuke, but she’s acknowledging Naruto now, and that’s – that’s all he’s wanted. To be seen. To be known. Sakura knows him, now, and Naruto’s pretty sure she doesn’t totally hate him. Basically, it’s the best.

He does think, though, that it has a lot to do with Sasuke.

Sasuke drives Naruto _nuts_. He’s so – _calm –_ and – and _cool._ Naruto hates it. Naruto’s always wanted to be cool. But no, it’s always Sasuke – perfect, pretty Sasuke that everyone just falls all over, and Naruto just wants to smack him upside his face. That’s not new, though. What’s new is the way that when he trains, he feels like he’s learning from Sasuke. Their sparring doesn’t feel so much like him getting beat down by a kid who doesn’t care; it’s started to feel more like actual training, and Naruto _thrives_ in it. He’s going to beat him. He knows it. He can feel it in his bones. And after he beats Sasuke – well, he thinks becoming Hokage is probably a breeze, after that.

It’s not just the sparring, either. It’s the spark in Sasuke’s eye when he beats Naruto that makes Naruto want to get up, get better, do it better because _Sasuke’s watching him_. He’s waiting for something, for Naruto to prove himself, just as much as Naruto is, and he never backs down from a challenge.

Naruto’s always weighed his time as more valuable when spent with other people, but he thinks time spent with Team Seven might be worth even more than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So these first two chapters were more or less about setting a baseline. Now that that's established, the next one will be a bit more fun, a bit more dialogue-oriented. Please let me know what you think! :)


	3. Complain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Installment three! I had some fun with this one, so I hope y'all do too! I'm doing my best to keep them as close to canon in personalities as possible, so keep in mind there hasn't been a ton of time for character development yet. Please enjoy! :)

It takes about three weeks for Sasuke to become entirely fed up with being a genin.

It’s not just the long nights outside, early mornings waiting for a perpetually late Kakashi, or late hours doing training he can’t possibly believe will ever be useful – although he’ll admit, he’s not fond of these things either.

It’s the pointlessness.

Sasuke does not understand how chasing down half a dozen lost cats will ever get him closer to Itachi, and it’s beyond frustrating. He kicks uselessly at a rock on the ground, a minor outbreak of his pent-up anger and helplessness. He knows Naruto and Sakura are feeling the same way. Naruto’s never been good at hiding his feelings, and even though he continues to shout about being Hokage and celebrates every returned pet like he’s saved the world, there’s a grating sense of dissatisfaction that hovers around him, one that Sasuke completely understands, even if he’d rather not.

Sakura’s discomfort…is a little different.

Sasuke knows he’s not the most patient person, but he likes to think he’s decent at ignoring people who don’t matter – which is most of them, he thinks. As it turns out, being on a team makes it almost impossible to block them out like he did in the academy, and Sakura is clearly ill-prepared for life as a genin. She’s annoyed by the dirt and the rocks and the bugs. The missions, however, seem perfectly suited to her. So maybe Sasuke’s wrong. Maybe she’s perfectly suited to life as genin, and he’s just meant for more.

He’s always been meant for more. Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised that they have nothing in common at all.

As he’s thinking this, she trips, as if on cue. Naruto automatically reaches out to steady her – but of course, she manages to shift her fall so that she lands on Sasuke’s arm.

He shoves her off, irritated. “Be more careful,” he snaps.

“S-sorry,” she says, blushing, and he’s not sure she’s sorry at all. “Gosh, it’s hot out. Why do you think Kakashi-sensei always has us doing missions like this on hot days? It’s not like the lady can’t collect her _own_ herbs.”

Sasuke privately agrees.

“But think about how hot and uncomfortable we are!” Naruto argues. “Sakura, if she were out here, she might actually die.”

Sakura rolls her eyes. “She’s not that old, Naruto. Sasuke gets it, doesn’t he?”

Sasuke doesn’t deign to answer, but he must make some sort of face, because both of his teammates scowl. Fine. Let them assume what they want. No need for either of them to know he’s irritated because Naruto’s right – this is the right thing to do – but Sakura’s also right, because this mission is pointless in his life. No, they definitely don’t need to know that.

“We need more sunscreen,” Sakura says after a moment. “It’ll probably be awhile before we have enough herbs to go back, and I don’t think Kakashi-sensei actually went ahead to help…” She walks over to one of the trees and slings off her pack, pulling out a white bottle. “It’ll go faster if we help each other, don’t you agree, Sasuke?”

Sasuke does not agree. He doesn’t like to be touched, for the most part, and Sakura’s constantly making excuses for it. He’s not in the mood today.

“Yeah, let’s help!” Naruto grabs for the sunscreen, and Sakura blanches, jolting away.

“On second thought, I’m probably fine on my own,” she mutters, casually smacking Naruto over the head as she turns away.

Naruto, for his part, looks remarkably undiscouraged, eyes still bright, and Sasuke turns so they can’t see him smile. “Okay, okay, fine! I’m thirsty, though, anyone have extra water?”

“Didn’t you pack enough for a single day, moron?” Sasuke looks at him just enough to be sure he sees exactly how unimpressed Sasuke is with this turn of events.

“Hey!” Naruto stomps his foot and points at him. He looks ridiculous and childlike, and Sasuke desperately wants to laugh at him, almost as much as he wants to yell at him. “No one said we would be out all day!”

Sasuke turns abruptly, heading the opposite direction of Sakura.

“Hey – asshole! What, you’re just gonna leave me?!”

“Leave him alone, Naruto. He’s obviously sick of you.”

Sasuke stops. “I thought you were thirsty, idiot. There’s a stream this way. You coming or what?”

“I – uh – yeah! Yeah, I’m coming. Be right back, Sakura! Don’t go anywhere without me!”

“Don’t forget sunscreen!” she shouts, and Sasuke feels it as Naruto catches up to him, and he starts to walk again.

The walk to the stream is blissfully quiet in the sweltering heat for all of ten seconds before Naruto mumbles, “I didn’t mean to forget the water. I was just – I was excited. For another mission. But it seems like it’s just the same old thing, you know? Nothing to be excited about after all.” He makes a face. “I think we’re ready for more.”

Sasuke stays quiet until they reach the stream. “It does seem…pointless,” he says quietly. Quietly enough that he half hopes Naruto won’t hear him.

“I mean, I get it,” Naruto complains, “but how are they supposed to know what we can actually do unless they let us try? This is just dumb! Dumb work for dumb kids! We could have done this kind of thing in the academy!” He bends over with his canteen to the stream.

Sasuke opens him mouth to agree – when Naruto slips and promptly falls face-first into the water.

He smirks. “They don’t know what we can do, huh? Maybe you’re the one holding us back.”

Naruto sputters at him, brushing wet blonde hair out of his bright blue eyes. “Shut up! I’m a great ninja! I’m just as good as you are, and you know it!”

Sasuke shrugs. “I feel pretty dry to me. Looks like only one of us can keep our balance.”

“That was an accident!”

“Ninjas don’t have accidents.”

“Well, I do! Sometimes! And I’m a ninja! Even if the missions are dumb! So ninjas do have accidents!”

“I guess Konoha’s standards are low.” Sasuke shifts so that the shade of the tree will hide how much he’s enjoying this. The movement lets him catch a glimpse of Sakura coming towards him, and he remembers: it’s hot and humid, and they still have only half the herbs they need before Kakashi will accept their mission as complete. Wherever he is.

“You know what! That’s not even it! I – I fell in on purpose! I wanted to cool off!”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at him, and Sakura abruptly walks out of the forest.

“Of course you got wet,” she says, eyebrows raised in disgust. “You’re not a good ninja, Naruto. You’re holding us back.”

And Sasuke hears it, then, hears the disdain in her voice as she says his words, and he sees Naruto’s shoulders slump.

This is stupid. He knows it’s stupid, but he does it anyways. “He wanted to cool off,” he tells Sakura, turning his back on Naruto completely. “He’s a moron, but he’ll probably be more comfortable. Come on, usuratonkachi. You got your water. Let’s go.”

“Uh – yeah! Coming!” Naruto scrambles out, dripping wet, shaking his head like a dog and spraying Sasuke unapologetically. Sakura squeals and jumps away, leading them back toward their original goal. Sasuke follows at a slight distance. Naruto comes up behind him, pauses, and mutters, “Thanks.”

“Shut up.”

Naruto grins at him and runs ahead, blathering to Sakura about nothing Sasuke cares to hear.

He’s not sure why he’s done this, but he does think, the air does seem a little cooler now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel the need to say that I really like Sakura, and I swear she won't be like this all the time. I find her kind of whiny and entitled at the beginning of the story, though, and that's where we are, so... Yep, that's what happened. Please let me know what you think! :)


	4. Discourage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Back again :) I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone for being supportive and leaving such positive comments. It's been really encouraging! We're getting to the point where some more time-skips will start happening. The text should make it pretty explicit where we are, but I'll say so in the notes just to be sure. This takes place immediately after the Land of Waves mission. Enjoy, y'all!

It’s another bad night.

Naruto’s had a lot of them lately, after the Land of Waves.

He knows he should be walking on air. They had an actual mission, and they succeeded. He got to see a people stand up and a child heal. He got to be the ninja he’s always wanted to be.

He thinks it’s unfair that no one ever told him it could be this…messy.

When he closes his eyes, he sees Haku’s smile and Sasuke’s body, and he can’t breathe. He sits up and claws at his head. He’s tired and frustrated and he knows the chunin exams are coming up, but he just – he can’t –

He grabs his clothes and goes outside. He thinks maybe if he can move quickly enough – run enough energy out – he’ll be able to sleep.

When the sun rises, he’s long given up running laps. He’s swinging his hands at the dummies instead, bloody and raw, shuriken and kunai scattered on the ground around him. He’s so tired, but if he’d just been stronger – faster – a better ninja –

Haku wouldn’t be dead. Wouldn’t have died feeling like a weapon, a tool to be used.

Sasuke wouldn’t have been hurt. Wouldn’t have had to even consider sacrificing himself for Naruto.

Naruto has never let the villagers convince him he’s useless, but in the back of his mind, he wonders if this mission might do it.

It’s when this thought crosses his head and his foot falters on his next twist that he realizes he’s not alone.

Sasuke catches him before he hits the ground. “Wh – you _moron,_ have you been out here all night?!”

He can hear the edge in Sasuke’s voice, and he rallies before he looks up at him, trying to make him understand with the sheer force of his gaze alone. “I have to get stronger,” he says.

Sasuke lets go of his arm as if he’s been burned, and Naruto wavers on his feet. “You have to sleep to get stronger, usuratonkachi,” he snaps. “How stupid are you?” He turns away, body angled toward the edge of the training field, where Naruto faintly sees a tinge of pink – Sakura’s here, which means Kakashi should arrive in – well, maybe an hour or so.

“I’m not stupid!” Naruto clenches his fists. “That’s not fair! You – you almost _died_ , asshole – and what good is being a ninja if I can’t – if I can’t protect my – my –” His words fail him, and he swings furiously at the dummy in their stead.

He misses, and he realizes a second too late that his balance is far too off. He’s going down.

He hears Sasuke’s sharp snap of breath just before the world fades out.

It’s the first thing he hears when it blurs back into existence, too. He’s on the ground, but on his side, head pillowed on something rough. He shifts, realizing it’s part of the dummy – someone must have taken it down for Naruto to use.

He groans and sits up. “What happened?” he mumbles, rubbing at his head.

Kakashi’s the one who answers him. He looms, as always when he wants to, larger than life, crouched beside Naruto. “I hear you’ve been out training all night,” he says lightly, in the voice that Naruto already knows to fear. “I’d like to know why.”

“I want to get stronger!” Naruto grabs angrily at the ground. He doesn’t understand why no one’s getting this. “I want to be Hokage! And I can’t – I can’t be that if – I – if I fail!”

Kakashi tilts his head ever so slightly to the side. “And you think you failed our last mission?”

“Haku died. Sas – part of our team could’ve died.”

Kakashi looks at him for a long moment before turning to look at Sakura and Sasuke, both standing a few feet away. “Sasuke, do you think we failed?”

Sasuke’s body tenses, and his eyes go hard when they look at Kakashi. Naruto stares at him, waits until those eyes and that intensity slides onto him. “Yes,” he says finally. “We shouldn’t have had to take those kinds of risks.”

Kakashi accepts this and shifts slightly. “Sakura?”

“I…I didn’t do much,” she says, and Naruto’s surprises to see her hands tense at her skirt, wrinkling it. “So yes, sensei, I think I failed, too.”

“Okay.” Kakashi pats the earth beside him as he slides into a lazy cross-legged position. “Come sit, and we’ll talk about this failure.”

Sakura folds herself down in neat movements, and Naruto’s surprised to realize that if he wants to, he can reach out and touch her. She doesn’t seem to be holding herself as far away, today.

Sasuke’s slower, more deliberate. He takes Naruto’s other side, settling into a reluctant, coiled crouch.

Naruto starts to get up, irritated with Sasuke’s stupid posture – how does the asshole always look so _cool –_

His head starts to spin, and he’s yanked back down by Sasuke’s fist in the back of his shirt. “Quit,” Sasuke snaps. “I’m tired of having to worry about you. You wanna get stronger, moron? Stop doing dumb shit.”

“That’s rich, coming from _you –”_

“Enough.” The low weight of Kakashi’s voice settles them both, and Sasuke lets go of Naruto, slowly retracting his arm until both elbows are casually set on his knees. Sakura looks anxious, and Naruto reluctantly settles. He really is dizzy, and he can’t remember if he ate dinner last night, either.

Kakashi looks carefully, steadily at the three of them, and Naruto feels like the words he says are being burned into his soul. “Missions,” he tells them, “are not easy. They are not safe. We take risks. Sometimes, we take lives. Sometimes those are our lives. Sometimes, they’re theirs. Being a ninja is not as simple as finding stray cats. All three of you know about the physical training. The mental fortitude required is much, much more difficult. There is no easy path to being a ninja.”

There’s silence. Naruto looks at the ground. He knows that. He knows it won’t be easy – he just –

No one ever said it would be like this, either.

“However,” Kakashi says, and his voice has lightened a bit, “I have no doubt that each of you has the strength to endure everything this life will throw at you. Good enough?”

Naruto feels some tension seep out of his shoulders, and he glances at Sasuke to find those dark, angry eyes already looking back at him. They both pause.

“Good enough,” Sasuke says, looking away, and Sakura nods.

“We can do anything, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto declares, putting as much heart into the words as he possibly can.

He thinks it must be enough, because he feels Sakura relax at his side.

“Good. That includes sleep. No training today. Sakura, Sasuke, take care of your teammate. I expect all three of you to be well-fed and well-rested next time I see you tomorrow morning. An hour earlier, to make up for missing today.”

Naruto groans. “We know you’ll be late, Kakashi-sensei!”

“Hm. Do you? Perhaps I’ll surprise you.” His visible eye twinkles at them as he stands, waving as he walks away.

Naruto doesn’t know why – probably he’s delirious – but he feels a little better, this time, when Sasuke and Sakura send him back to bed. He thinks just maybe, he’ll sleep tonight.

After all, he's still gotta get stronger. No easy path - that's fine. Naruto's life hasn't been all that easy anyways, and he kind - he kind of thinks - 

It'll probably be easier than a lot of ninjas have it, with Sasuke - and Sakura - at his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd that's this one! Please let me know what you think! I always want feedback, but I'll be honest, I'm more nervous about this one. I had one thing planned out and ended up writing this instead, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. If you have time, let me know :) Thanks!


	5. Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, y'all! I'm so grateful for everyone who has commented and kudos'd and who is following along. Not much of a time-skip here, still dealing with the Land of Waves aftermath, but I hope you enjoy! :)

_“There is no easy path to being a ninja.”_

Kakashi’s words ring in Sasuke’s ears. He _knows_ this. He does. It’s not like any of this is new information. Sakura and Naruto might be surprised to learn the ninja world is drenched in blood, but Sasuke’s known that since a full moon and red eyes, and he’s never forgotten.

How can he? Sasuke’s seen Itachi in himself in every mirror, heard him in every whisper from the villagers, for nearly as long as he can remember. Even if Sakura and Naruto may forget, Konoha will make sure Sasuke remembers: He is an Uchiha. He is Other – different from them in some immeasurable way.

Which means, more or less, very little today outside of the fact that he needs to pass the chunin exams. If he can’t even do that – if he can’t pass the exams his brother defeated at merely ten years old – then he’s wasting his time. He needs to push harder, move faster – but –

“The chunin exams will be a breeze for us!” Naruto declares, mouth half-stuffed full of ramen and a noodle dangling down his chin.

Sakura makes a noise of disgust and scoots slightly further away from him. “Eat neatly, Naruto,” she scolds. “No one wants to see half-chewed food.”

Sasuke privately agrees and shoves a napkin at the idiot, who completely ignores it, swallowing with a gulp.

“Sorry!” He burps, then laughs. “But come on, guys! No one else has been on a _real_ mission. They’ve all been hanging out around the village. We’re the only ones with actual experience here. We’re gonna kick their –”

“Naruto!”

Naruto jumps half out of his skin, but even Sasuke stiffens instinctively, and he notices Sakura do the same. He relaxes after only a moment, realizing that – as usual – Naruto’s the target of Iruka’s ire.

“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto beams, spins around, and jumps out of his seat. “Did you hear about our mission?! And the chunin exams?! We’re gonna be so good! We’re gonna kick all their –”

_“Naruto!”_

“– butts!” Naruto grins wickedly. “What did you think I was going to say, Sensei?”

Iruka sighs, ruffling Naruto’s hair with a smile that’s more fondness than anger.

Sasuke’s heart aches suddenly, and he decides he’s done eating. He pushes away his meal and pulls drops some money down. “I’m going.”

“Wh – Sasuke! Why?!” Naruto looks at him, aghast.

“Time to train.” He stands, turning to look Naruto deliberately in the eye. “Don’t just assume things will be easy, moron. We’re not just competing against the rest of Konoha. Experiencing one battle doesn’t mean we’ll win all the others.”

Naruto’s blue eyes flash. “It doesn’t mean we’ll lose, either,” he argues. “Besides, I _know_ we can win, Sasuke. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that _you_ can’t see it – we both know I’m the brains here –”

“Naruto, I’m warning you –” Iruka’s hand tightens noticeably in Naruto’s hair.

“– but we have everything we need right here! That hurts, Iruka-sensei!” He bats uselessly at Iruka, who doesn’t let up and instead looks at Sasuke, clearly analyzing his reaction.

Sasuke shifts. He doesn’t dislike Iruka, but he’s never cared for the way adults look at him, waiting for – well, even Sasuke doesn’t know quite what they want from him. Are they expecting him to break out in anger? Suddenly produce his Sharingan? He refocuses on Naruto, who’s still glaring at him.

“What are you talking about, usuratonkachi? You barely have one jutsu. How is that everything we need to win?”

Behind Naruto, Sakura sits forward a little more, as if she needs to hear this answer, too.

Naruto finally succeeds in disentangling Iruka’s hand from his hair and pushes it away with a firm swat and a smile. “Asshole,” he declares, smiling brightly at Sasuke, “look at what we have! Sakura knows everything there is to know about being a ninja! And her chakra control is so good! And you’ve – well, you’ve got some skills, I guess. I mean, you’re not bad with kunai and shuriken. And no one can stand against me! The future Hokage!”

Sasuke snorts and raises an eyebrow.

Naruto’s eyes go hard again, the kind of brilliant intensity that always means he’s about to say something both incredibly stupid and incredibly weird.

Sasuke’s surprised to find that he’s actually pretty damn curious to hear what it is, this time.

“Come on, Sasuke,” Naruto says, “you know Team Seven can take on any team here or anywhere. We’re – we’re invincible!”

Sasuke, logically, knows that this isn’t true. If anything, the Land of Waves proved that. But at the same time, looking at Naruto, he –

He gets it. No one else has this – this need, this all-encompassing desire to surpass, to succeed, to be what comes next –

The last Uchiha alive.

The next Hokage.

Their goals are different, Sasuke knows that, but sometimes he thinks –

“You’re a dumbass,” he says out loud, turning to go. “But you’re right. We’ll beat everyone else. I’m not letting anyone stand in my way.”

“Me either!” Naruto cheers, and he hears Sakura agree too, as he walks away.

He counts backwards from ten, and he hits two just as Sakura’s feet catch up to him. Damn. Either she’s getting faster, or he’s started counting too slowly.

“Naruto may be dumb,” she says, “but I still – I still think we can make it!” She smiles cheerily at him.

Sasuke doesn’t answer. He’s started counting again in his head – _three – two – one –_

Naruto’s hand slams into his shoulder, and Sasuke realizes something.

Teamwork. The chunin exams probably won’t be easy, exactly, but he has something he thinks the others probably don’t. Teammates that are predictable to him – predictably loyal.

It makes something settle low and warm in his chest, even as they bicker across him.

Sasuke has never really anticipated an easy life, and yet –

There’s something to be said about being here, with these two, that makes him feel like life maybe isn’t always so hard, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed some more Team Seven love, y'all, so I hope you did too! Let me know what you think, and I'll see you next week! :)


	6. Fox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again, y'all! This takes place prior to the final round of the chunin exams, where Sasuke is off with Kakashi and Naruto's training with Jiraiya. Please enjoy! :)

Naruto thinks he’s starting to get used to the idea of a monster inside of him. For the first time in his life – for the first time since he found out the truth – he’s seeing it as a source of potential rather than tragedy and death.

Pervy Sage may be an unpredictable teacher, but Naruto likes him anyways. He treats Naruto like he has value – and like the fox may be something Naruto can control, rather than the other way around.

He likes that idea. After all, he’s suffered for the fox for years. Maybe he can thrive for it instead.

He’s also, reluctantly, aware that he has a long way to go before that’s really possible.

The fox feels dark, heavy. He doesn’t know exactly how to reach it, on purpose, much less how to control it except to demand – _survive._ The fox needs Naruto, so it stands to reason that if Naruto is in danger, the fox will react.

It certainly seems to be the principle Jiraiya applies with their training. Naruto finds that after the first time, it doesn’t bother him so much. He’s going to win. He’s going to succeed. He’s going to kick ass in the chunin exams. And then he’s –

He’s going to beat Sasuke.

He finds himself distracted, slipping and kicking aimlessly at the ground.

“Sasuke,” he mumbles – to empty air, because Sasuke’s not _here._ Sasuke hasn’t been here. Naruto hasn’t seen him since he passed his one-on-one elimination round and left with Kakashi.

Naruto knows he should be focusing on his training, and mostly, he is. But something feels unsettled and wrong inside. He’s noticed that Sakura’s restlessness doesn’t seem to be about the exams, either. It bothers him, that he hasn’t seen Sasuke, or Kakashi.

Training. They’re training. It’s to be expected, he tells himself, and Sasuke – well, Sasuke probably needs all the help he can get. Really, it’s a sign of Kakashi’s faith in Naruto that he hasn’t taken the time to train him.

Besides, he’s got Pervy Sage now. He’ll be fine.

He’ll be _fine_.

Naruto tries again to focus on the power inside him, but it feels like there’s just – something. A wall, separating him from this thing that he _knows_ is roaring –

Well.

Actually, it might be sleeping.

Naruto’s not entirely sure what it does in him, all day. Does he listen to all of Naruto’s conversations? Or does he simply wait for a chance to escape? Or a moment where he’s at risk?

“I’m gonna use you,” he says out loud, poking at his stomach, “but you’re not gonna use me. Got it? And I’m gonna either be great _without_ you or great at _using_ you – but not because of you! I’m gonna be the next Hokage, and if you’re gonna live in my body, you’re just gonna have to get on board!”

There’s no answer, but he didn’t really expect one, either.

He kicks at the dirt again, but this time he hits a rock with his toe and jumps, cursing and wincing at the sudden pain.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, sitting down to rub his foot. “This is dumb. You’re not very good at conversation, you know that?” He pokes at the seal again. “I miss…”

He misses Sasuke, but he doesn’t want to say it out loud. It feels like a jinx, like it’ll be admitting that – that – he needs him. He cares about him.

Worse, it’ll be like admitting that he’s worried, that something might really be wrong with his teammate.

The thought sits heavy and low in Naruto’s gut, and he wishes more anything he could just _talk_ to him. The next round is tournament style – every ninja for themself – he gets that – but – damnit, Sasuke’s his friend! And he wants to know how he’s doing!

It wouldn’t hurt, either, to maybe see if he had any ideas about…

Well, it doesn’t matter. Naruto knows he’s not allowed to tell anyone, anyways, and he’s not even sure he wants to. What would Sasuke even say, if he knew Naruto had a monster inside him?

_So what, usuratonkachi? It’s not like you can beat me, anyways._

Naruto’s head snaps up. That’s right. That’s what Sasuke would say – he wouldn’t give a shit that Naruto’s got a fox sealed in him. He’d definitely laugh if he could see Naruto sitting here talking to his stomach instead of training, though.

“Wherever you are, I know you’re training hard!” Naruto shouts, pointing at the sky. “So just you wait, because I’m gonna be training even harder!”

There’s silence, of course, because Sasuke’s not here. He’s somewhere else, doing who knows what. The disquieted feeling in Naruto’s gut rolls again, and he hates it.

He thinks maybe he could seek out Sakura, but all that would do is worry her more. She hasn’t wanted to talk about Sasuke much, or what happened in the Forest of Death. There’s so much of it that Naruto doesn’t remember, and it bothers him. He’s pretty sure they should remember, but Sasuke’s gone, and Sakura won’t say anything.

Naruto grumbles at the empty air around him. “This is stupid,” he mutters. “Okay. Okay. We’re gonna figure this out, fox. We’re gonna make it happen.”

Nothing.

Still nothing.

Naruto stretches his arms above his head and tries to reset. If he can’t figure out how to talk to the fox – and he’s not really inclined to jump off a cliff just for the average conversation – and he can’t find Sasuke to talk to him – not that he _needs_ to talk to him, or even wants to, really; it’d just be nice to know everything’s gonna be normal again –

He can train. And he can run.

So he does. He runs as far as he can, pushing himself, conditioning, training his body to stretch his limits again and again and again, so that when he does see Sasuke again, he can be sure. He’ll win.

He’ll stand against his best friend and rise victorious, both of them, rising in Konoha, the next Hokage and his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Y'all, it is TOUGH for me to write young introspective Naruto. I swear he has these thoughts, but articulating them is just a whole new ball game...


	7. Grimace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, y'all! Small time skip here. This takes place after the completion of the chunin exams, to include Team Seven's confrontation with Gaara. Please enjoy! :)

What the fuck.

What the _actual fuck happened –_

“Yo, Sasuke!” Naruto grabs at his arm, yanking Sasuke forward. “You paying attention, asshole?”

“Better than you,” he snaps reflexively, only to realize he doesn’t have any idea what he’s supposed to be doing.

Naruto clearly knows this, by the way he starts snickering. “Alright then,” he says, “lead the way.”

Sasuke scowls and spins on his heel, quickly trying to process where exactly he’s supposed to be going. He’s not sure he can be blamed for his inattention, this time. It’s just routine training, after all, and all he can see is Naruto standing protectively in front of him, facing down Gaara. All he can feel is the absolute _helplessness_ and that – again, that –

That willingness to die, if it meant Naruto lived. If it meant Sakura lived. If it meant his team survived.

Even if it would also mean that Itachi survived, too.

He felt it on the bridge, but it was sudden and powerful and _fleeting_ , an action beyond his control, so deeply imbedded in him so as to be instinct, and he had just done what he needed to do. This time? No, this time Sasuke had had a choice, and he’d chosen…

He’d chosen this blonde _moron_ instead of revenge.

Sasuke doesn’t really know what to do about that, and his spin hasn’t actually given him any additional information until – ah.

Kakashi’s in a tree. He gives Sasuke that look that he knows is supposed to be innocent but is actually more demonic, based on the way it sends shivers down Sasuke’s spine, and points north.

Sasuke immediately starts walking south.

He can vaguely hear his sensei snickering in the trees, but Naruto’s groan of despair immediately makes up for it. “How do you know?” he whines, running to catch up to Sasuke. “I know you weren’t actually listening, asshole. So how do you know where we’re going?”

“Situational awareness,” Sasuke says. It’s not a lie.

“Okay then… Where’s Sakura?”

Sasuke refuses to let this break his stride and desperately tries to remember. “She’s doing individual training today, to focus on honing her chakra control to a higher level, since she’s more skilled at that than we are.” In his pocket, he crosses his fingers.

Naruto makes a face. “Fine. _Fine._ Let’s just do this.”

It occurs to Sasuke once again that he actually has no idea what they’re doing. He glances at Naruto sidelong and considers throwing him a bone.

No. He’s already too soft on the idiot, already too worried about him when all he needs to thinking about is – all that should matter to him is –

“Come on,” Naruto says, breaking into his thoughts again. “You know Kakashi-sensei’s probably not even watching us.”

Sasuke can literally still hear his laughter. “He absolutely is. What’s wrong with you?”

Naruto bristles. “What’s wrong with _you?_ You’ve been all weird ever since the chunin exams!”

“Oh, you mean where a wanted criminal tried to kill us and we had to fight a tailed beast? I’m sorry for not feeling chatty.”

“Shut up! You’re not the only one who went through that, you know!”

“Do you want me to talk or shut up? At least I’m capable of doing both, unlike you, but not both at once.”

“Shu – you asshole!” Naruto fumes. “You know what, I’m definitely gonna beat you now! He said we have to get up to the top of at least five trees before we can join Sakura, and I’m gonna do it first!”

“Like hell you are.”

“I am!” Naruto sprints forward, and Sasuke follows, relieved beyond belief to know what he’s supposed to be doing.

He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t need this. Friendship, teamwork – these are not the things that will take down Itachi.

But when Naruto’s chakra control slips, Sasuke lunges and catches him, helps him spin back safely onto the branch. “Be more careful, usuratonkachi,” he pants.

“Sorry!” Naruto says carelessly, diving off again, feet solidly stuck to the wood this time.

It takes them most of the afternoon, but they do it. And Sasuke’s physically and mentally exhausted, worn from working to perfect his control and from challenging and helping Naruto alternately throughout the day.

Naruto’s half-slumped onto his shoulder, breathing heavily, when Kakashi and Sakura find them. “We did it, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto tells them, sitting up straight immediately.

“I know you did,” Kakashi says, ruffling his hair. “Both of you did very well. Now, why don’t you all go on home and get some good food and rest. Tomorrow will be another long training day, but this time, we’ll be focusing on teamwork instead of honing individual skills.”

“Individual skills?” Sasuke crosses his arms. “Maybe Sakura was, but I was stuck with him all day. That's not personalized training.”

“Hey!” Naruto makes a face at him. “It’s not like we were working together, exactly! And if we were, then – well, that’s what we’re supposed to do, ya know!”

“But it’s not all we’re supposed to do!” Sasuke feels like he might explode. He stands, glowering at Kakashi and Naruto and Sakura too. None of them _get it_. None of them realize – if he dies – if he dies for them, then –

Then what did his family die for?

Then what does he even live for?

He turns around. “I’m going home.”

“But – Sasuke –”

“Let him go,” he hears Kakashi say. “Let him rest. It’s been a long, hard day on the end of a long, difficult battle for our village. We all need some time and space.”

It’s not that Kakashi’s wrong, Sasuke thinks later, lying in his bed staring up at the ceiling. It’s that it’s not the whole truth.

The whole truth is that Sasuke is starting to wonder who he really is, without Naruto around, and he doesn’t understand why that’s a picture he can’t quite see anymore.

It’s with this thought in mind that he goes outside to train at night, to train the pain and fear and confusion out of his system.

Maybe, just maybe, it’ll be enough to let him sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I'm spending a lot of time in early Naruto - much more than will be spent in Shippuden, to be honest. But everything that happens here ends up sustaining the relationship between them for literal years, not to mention battles, so I think it's important? I hope y'all aren't feeling impatient with me yet! :) Also, I know this one ends a bit abruptly - it's because the next one picks up where this leaves off :) See y'all next week!


	8. Harbor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy weekend, y'all! Here's our next installment. This picks up right where the last one left off. Please enjoy! :)

Sasuke’s disappearance for the night sits hard and wrong in Naruto’s gut as he tosses and turns in bed, staring alternately at the ceiling and the wall. He knows, logically, that Kakashi’s probably right. It makes sense. No one wants to talk about what happened.

Except – Naruto kind of does. Not there’s anyone who wants to have that conversation with him, and honestly, if he started talking, he’s not sure where he’d stop or what he’d say, so – maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it after all.

He sits up, giving up on any rest with an irritated huff. If he can’t use the night to sleep, he might as well use it for something. He’s not going to – to do what he did after the Land of Waves. He knows better, now, but he thinks maybe a couple laps around the training field might help him relax.

He’s not expecting to find Sasuke there, flinging shuriken at targets. He's hunched over, hands on his knees, panting, and suddenly when he looks up, his eyes meet Naruto’s.

In that second, Naruto thinks he understands Sasuke better than he’s ever understood anything. He knows that look. He knows that feeling of desperation and despair and loss and confusion, knows it to his _soul_ , and he knows something else too.

He won’t let Sasuke feel this way alone.

He shifts his feet and bends his knees, smiles cheerily and waves a hand. “Hey, asshole! Wanna race me? Bet I get three laps around the field before you do!”

“What?” Sasuke stares at him, looking confused.

Naruto just laughs and takes off. It’s mere seconds before he feels Sasuke at his heels, tearing the ground behind him as they run. It feels _good_ , and Naruto’s shoulders relax slightly as tension seeps from his mind, relieved by the sight and sound of Sasuke training beside him.

“Doesn’t count,” Sasuke gasps as soon as Naruto whips around, pointing at him victoriously. “You started first, and I’ve been training. Doesn’t count.”

Naruto scowls. “Asshole! It totally counts! You just don’t like losing! Admit it!”

“Moron. No one likes losing.” He frowns, and Naruto sees some of the _off_ slip back into his eyes. “Doesn’t count,” he says again, as if repeating himself can make it true.

“Does so.” Naruto knows he needs to do something – some sort of competition – just something to keep them moving, keep Sasuke from getting too lost in his big damn head –

“Didja know I learned to walk on water while you were off pretending to train with Kakashi-sensei?”

“I wasn’t _pretending_ , usuratonkachi. Did you even see my Chi – wait.” Sasuke squints at him. “No way your chakra control is that good.”

“Totally is,” Naruto tells him proudly, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. “Better than yours, I bet.”

Sasuke’s lips do the pinched thing they do when he’s secretly worried Naruto’s right. Naruto absolutely _lives_ for that look. “I can condense chakra into my hand and use it like a sword,” Sasuke says sourly. “Of course I can walk on water.”

“Prove it then!” Naruto takes off towards the river, confident beyond what he reasonably should be that Sasuke’s following him. Sasuke’s never been able to resist a challenge that Naruto’s set – and the other way around, but Naruto doesn’t like to think about that part too much.

By the time they get to the river, Naruto’s started to second-guess this particular plan. He’s tired, and he thinks he’s made some progress. Mostly, that haunted, bewildered look in Sasuke’s eyes is gone – but whenever they stop moving, he sees it start to come back.

The problem is that Naruto can’t keep them training forever. Eventually, he’s got to get Sasuke to go the fuck to sleep.

He doesn’t think a dunk in the river will get him closer to this particular goal, but, well – he’s committed. He can’t back down now without Sasuke thinking Naruto can’t actually do it, and that’s just not acceptable.

So – fine, then. Maybe it’ll shock the _off_ out of his system. Naruto doesn’t know, but it’s definitely too late to go back. “Alright, asshole, watch and learn!” he says, and focuses carefully as he steps out onto the water.

It’s with no little sense of relief that he realizes he actually _can_ maintain this, at least for a bit. At least longer than Sasuke can, he thinks, since Sasuke’s never –

Sasuke shrugs, steps out of his shoes, and steps cleanly into the water, his eyes never leaving Naruto’s.

Naruto is not quite sure he’s ever been so pissed off in his life. “What the – no fair! You asshole! How are you good at _everything! Ugh!_ ”

Sasuke’s lips curve into a slow smile that makes Naruto’s blood boil in the same amount it makes his heart soar –

Yeah, the asshole’s winning and laughing at him. But he’s _smiling_ , a real smile, and Naruto thinks that this is probably what being on a team is really all about.

Or – and he’ll admit this is just a possibility, as his toes start to sink and Sasuke quickly yanks him back towards shore – it might be what being a friend is all about.

He makes it to shore just as his foot starts to catch on the drag of the water, and he makes a quick decision. If he can’t stay above water too long, neither will Sasuke. He throws all his weight onto the arm Sasuke’s holding, and they both collapse onto shore with their legs in the river.

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke mutters, shoving Naruto off him. “You just had to take me down, too, huh, idiot.”

“Totally an accident! My bad!” Naruto lies. He grins broadly at Sasuke, whose lips twitch ever so slightly, and Naruto collapses back onto the ground, staring up at the sky. After a hesitant moment, Sasuke follows his lead, and they lie side by side, letting the river just gently drag at their toes.

Naruto’s not sure how much time passes, but he feels his eyes start to get heavy, and the next thing he knows, Sasuke’s tapping his arm. “Come on, moron,” he says. “Time for bed.”

“You too, asshole.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes but nods, and Naruto’s suddenly surer than he’s ever been.

Sasuke is the best friend he’s ever had, and he’s going through something, and there’s no way in hell Naruto’s going to let him endure it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are the best. Your constant encouragement and feedback has brought me so much joy, and it's definitely made me feel I made the right decision by pursuing this project. I came pretty close to deciding against it, but I honestly can't believe we're eight chapters in now. Thank you so much!! :) <3


	9. Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL WE'RE BACK. Happy Friday! Thank you to everyone who's been following along and leaving comments and kudos. Those who have left me comments, well, we have y'all to thank for this project not imploding this week. More on that at the end. Oops? This chapter is a lil different than the others have been. Please enjoy! :)

Itachi’s in town and going after Naruto.

Sasuke feels like his blood has gone cold, like he’s been dunked in ice water, like someone has set every nerve on fire. He can barely think straight. All he can think is that he has to get Naruto, and his feet seem to beat the same rhythm into the ground that his heart does: _not again not again not again not again not again –_

First stop: Naruto’s apartment. He lands there, feeling every rush of blood through his veins, every frantic pulse of fear and desperation, and the door opens – he feels like he’s going to choke on his relief – Naruto’s _here –_

No. It’s Sakura. She looks at him, bewildered, admits she doesn’t know where Naruto is, and Sasuke doesn’t hear anything else. It doesn’t matter why she’s here. It doesn’t matter what she wants. All that matters – all that possibly can matter in this moment – is finding Naruto, is protecting Naruto – is stopping Itachi from taking his family _all over again –_

A vague, distant part of his brain praises his ability to continue to think through the haze of panic that threatens to overtake him. First stop was Naruto’s apartment, but the second stop must be Ichiraku’s.

He lands with a soft thump and flings the curtain open, asking after Naruto with as much calmness as he can muster. (It isn’t much, but then, no one seems to sense that Sasuke’s entire world is threatening to collapse around him. The earthquake rumbling under his feet bothers no one else, and the only way to stop it is to _find Naruto.)_

The news that Naruto’s not alone brings both a moment of pure relief and a brief shot of envy, because if Naruto’s traveling and training with somebody, does that mean Sasuke’s been left behind again, but then both of those things disappear beneath the impending panic because _he still doesn’t know where Naruto is and Itachi’s looking for him._

He can get to the outpost. He knows he can. And maybe Itachi doesn’t know Naruto’s there yet. After all, he doesn’t know to check a ramen shop. Or which ramen shop, for that matter. No one else knows. Well – only people who know Naruto would know to look there. Sasuke knows because he knows Naruto. Itachi – Itachi doesn’t.

Itachi doesn’t know anything about Naruto. Doesn’t know anything about Sasuke anymore either.

Why? Why is he back? Why has he targeted Naruto – Naruto, of all people in the village? The one that makes Sasuke – makes Sasuke feel –

His feet pick up the rhythm again as he runs towards where Teuchi told him they might be: _not again not again not again not again not again._ This won’t happen again. He won’t _let_ it happen again. And even he’s not sure what he’s thinking about – his parents, dead at his feet? Him, collapsed behind Naruto, as he watches him put his life on the line and all Sasuke can do is _watch and hope in helpless fucking agony –_

Never again. Never again never again _never again not again not again not again –_

He can’t help it. He can see his parents in front of him again, those dead bodies, that damned full moon that shone so fucking bright that night, his brother’s eyes that he had once seen as so kind go hard and cold and cruel –

Sasuke feels like he’s moving in slow motion through the trees, as though the memories have somehow thickened the air around him, as if he’s trying to run through quicksand or glue or something else worse, something heavy and viscous with fear and pain. He’s lost too much. Itachi took everything once, and Sasuke can’t even breathe when he thinks he might do it again. For every second he’s spent agonizing over his inability to keep his distance from Naruto, now that he might lose him –

He can’t even pretend that the thought doesn’t make his breath catch and hurt, ripping its way out of his throat in panic and desperation. _Not again. Not again. Please, God, not again._

Stupid Naruto. Stupid, stupid Naruto, leaving the village when he’s being hunted, wandering off with some random stranger who may or may not be able to even protect him – _what is he thinking –_

Sasuke’s vaguely aware that what he’s thinking doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. Naruto doesn’t owe him an explanation, and there’s no reason he’d ever suspect Itachi’s after him. In fact, Sasuke’s not even completely sure Naruto knows Itachi’s name. But that’s a rational thought for a rational time, and Sasuke’s never been further away from either.

Actually reaching the outpost doesn’t make things better. Every single person he asks takes way too long to think about an answer, tilting their heads and pondering. He doesn’t get it. He wants to scream at them that this is an easy question, that if they’ve seen Naruto they would _know,_ because Naruto is anything but subtle, because no one who has ever met Naruto has ever been able to forget him – Sasuke has barely been able to look away from him –

When the door opens in front of him to reveal the wrong blonde kid and white-haired man, he feels as if his stomach has just dropped out of his body. Itachi’s found him. He just _knows_ it, feels it in his gut, and he has to find them – he has to stop this – he can’t let this happen – _not again not again not again –_

When he sees them, finally sees them, the wrongness of it floods his system, a shock of adrenaline to his veins, an instinctive reaction of fear and panic and fury and the need to protect and avenge and act that completely overtakes him. Itachi’s there, standing in front of the only person Sasuke doesn’t think he could stand to lose, looking confused and helpless and Sasuke, he can’t – he can’t - 

“It’s been a long time…Sasuke.”

That voice. That _voice._

Sasuke’s entire world narrows down to this one corridor. The man with the swords fades fuzzily in and out of his focus at the corner of his view, and all he can see is his – his _brother_ standing there by Naruto, as if he has a right to be there, as if he thinks he can come and take the only – the one thing Sasuke can’t –

Nothing else matters. His vengeance, his duty, his loyalty, his desire to protect. Nothing else but these things exist, and before he knows what he’s doing, Sasuke moves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Let me know what you think, if you have the time :) So the way I'm writing this project - I have every chapter planned out from beginning to end, and each week after I post, I sit down and fully write out the next section, so usually, I'm a week or two ahead of my posting schedule because I don't want to get behind.
> 
> Then. This chapter. I don't know what compelled me to decide to write a scene showing an internal monologue when that scene EXISTS IN CANON WITH AN INTERNAL MONOLOGUE. I went back and re-watched this episode and several episodes surrounding it, realized how many things I could have/should have hit in previous chapters, and panicked. I wound up reminding myself that this whole thing is an interpretation, doesn't have to be exactly like canon, and is still valid and (hopefully) worth reading. And to convince myself, I reread all the comments that have been left proving that there are people out there who are enjoying my interpretation. So THANK YOU <3 Y'all sustained me <3 And that is my very long rant. Again, oops? See y'all next week :)


	10. Jealous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY WORD Y'ALL WERE SO. NICE. TO ME THIS WEEK. Just so kind. Thank you all so much. It sincerely means so much to me. I had gotten pretty up in my head about all of it, and your encouraging words absolutely snapped me out it. :) Happy Friday, y'all. You're the best. Please enjoy! :)

Naruto feels a little like there are ants crawling under his skin.

He’s used to being jittery, having too much energy, getting out of control during classes or training – it’s always been a struggle for him. This feeling shouldn’t be anything new, but – Naruto’s never had to sit here and wait and hope that Sasuke will be okay.

Not like this.

There was the moment on the bride in the Land of Waves, but even then, Naruto was too busy fighting Haku, too busy trying to make sense of a world that suddenly turned upside on him, to feel this anxiety like a deep ache in his bones, a pain and agitation he can’t remove no matter how hard he tries.

He doesn’t understand why they’re taking their time. Sasuke’s – Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei are both in trouble, and Pervy Sage just wants to meander around like nothing’s gone wrong. Naruto wishes he’d at least take the time to teach him a new jutsu – really teach him – if he’s not in any hurry to actually convince this Tsunade lady to come back with them.

It’s for this reason he trains until he can’t think, because thinking hurts. If he thinks, he has to consider what might happen if they can’t find her. If Sasuke doesn’t – if Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei don’t wake up. He’ll have to –

No. Naruto tightens his hands around the ball in his hands, desperately trying to focus on it. He’s fighting so hard. He pours every second of his frustration and fear into, willing it to rotate, to break –

But of course it doesn’t.

He lets it drop from his hands without thinking, scrambling for it almost immediately again, but his fingers are stiff and pained from hours and hours of training. He rubs at them, working to straighten them out and flexes them again and again. It hurts, but it’s bearable. And he has to keep going. He _has_ to make this happen.

He thinks, a little, that if it were Sasuke, he wouldn’t be having this problem. He’d have conquered this stupid jutsu already. He just gets things, when Naruto doesn’t – so fast. And Naruto doesn’t know howto think or feel about that, except bad because – because –

Because if Naruto doesn’t learn this jutsu, if he can’t convince Tsunade to come back and help Sasuke, then what kind of friend is he? Then what has all this been for – all his training, all his work, all his time as part of a team, if he can’t come through when it counts?

It’s not fair, how hard this is, and he knows it, but at the same time, he also knows he can do this.

He takes a deep breath. Naruto’s never been good at staying calm. He doesn’t have Sakura’s control or Sasuke’s razor focus. But he does have this: his belief. His certainty. He knows that he can do this, even if it takes all he’s got. He’s willing to give it, for Sasuke. Sasuke’s worth some bruises and sore fingers.

He reaches down, picks up the ball, and closes his eyes. He can do this. He can do this.

He doesn’t know when he goes from training to passed out. When he wakes, he finds himself under a blanket. His fingers have started to blister, and he grits his teeth for just a heartbeat before yawning big and wide. He can do this. He knows he can do this.

He’s pretty sure Sasuke could do this, and that means – well, that means Naruto just has to do it faster than Sasuke would. Which is totally, totally possible, he tells himself.

He has to bring Tsunade back. He knows he does. He doesn’t – get it, exactly, what makes her so special, but if she’s the one who can save Sasuke – Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, then any amount of training is worth it.

He’s up and squinting at the ball again, focused as intensely as he can be, when something smacks him over the back of his head and Pervy Sage crashes into the ground as his side. “Eat,” he tells him firmly.

Naruto scrambles at what he’s offering him – food, any food, sounds amazing. “Thanks, Pervy Sage!” he spits through his mouthful.

“Chew with your mouth closed!” Jiraiya snaps, a couple grains of rice spewing out as he speaks. “And stop calling me that! Well? Have you figured it out yet?”

Naruto swallows with a gulp. “I’d figure it out faster if you’d help me!”

“No can do, kid.” Jiraiya licks his fingers clean. “That’s not how it works.”

He scowls. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I bet Kakashi-sensei explained Chidori to Sasuke.”

“I’m not Kakashi, kid, and you ain’t Sasuke,” Jiraiya says, leaning back on his hands, looking completely unconcerned as he looks up into the sky.

Naruto follows his gaze, but all he can see is his best friend pinned to a wall, unresponsive, hurt in some way that makes it impossible for Naruto to touch him. “I know that,” he says, more quietly than he intends. “But I bet you’d tell me more, if I…”

“I didn’t come to train the Uchiha. I’m training you, God knows why. So get off your ass, swallow your breakfast, and get working. You gonna just give up?”

Naruto’s temper flares, and he leaps to his feet. “I never said that! I’m gonna figure this out and _make_ that old lady come back with us!”

Jiraiya chuckles. “Better get to it then. I’ll check on you later. I have – ah – research.”

Naruto scowls at him. “My training is more important.”

“Learning solitude is training,” Jiraiya says, in a way that is clearly supposed to be sage and wise but mostly just makes Naruto raise an eyebrow and wonder where exactly his attention actually is. “Keep working, kid. You’ll get there. After all, you’ve got an exceptional sensei!”

Naruto’s not completely convinced by this, but he does know for sure that he won’t give up. He can’t.

Not when Sasuke’s counting on him.

So maybe – maybe chaka control and new jutsus don’t come as easily to him. That’s okay.

Most things haven’t come easy, but he’s starting to find that the things he has to work for tend to be the most worthwhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this chapter seems a little anticlimatic compared to the last one, but believe me, the drama's coming. I know what's coming next (and you probably do too) and OOF. Y'all, I am both excited and terrified. If you have time, I'd love a comment :) They make me soo happy! See y'all next week :)


	11. Knowledge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are the best. Too. Freaking. Kind to me. Thank you so much!! <3 :) I'm excited about this next one, and I hope you are too! This takes place immediately after Sasuke leaves Naruto unconscious at the canyon. Please enjoy :)

Sasuke doesn’t know how long he walks in the cold and the rain before he realizes he’s moving on pure instinct and will, without much thought to his direction. He slows to a stop and tries to get his bearings. There’s so much he doesn’t know. His head feels like the center of a tornado – everything whirls too fast for him to catch and examine, and in the middle of it he feels inexplicably empty and lost.

He places a hand against a tree, hoping it will ground him, and closes his eyes, taking stock of his surroundings. There’s so, so much he doesn’t know, and he tries to list off the things he does.

The twinge in his neck calls him gently but firmly to Orochimaru. That must be how he’s been choosing his direction, he thinks. It’s certainly not that he was handed a map or coordinates when he was coaxed into the barrel that produced such strange changes in his body. He starts moving again, following that slight insistent pull towards the dangerous edge he can feel like smoke in his peripheral vision. That’s a start, he tells himself. That’s good. He knows where to go.

He continues to ground himself as he moves, taking careful stock to distract himself from the burning emptiness, guilt, and loss that is digging a pit inside of him. He doesn’t know what to do with that, so for the moment, he does nothing. Instead, he keeps listing what he knows, one careful item at a time.

He knows the rain is cold. There are goosebumps on his wet skin, and a slight shiver wracks his body every couple of steps he takes. So it’s cold, and he’s wet, and he’d prefer to remedy both of those things sooner rather than later – but he can’t seem to make his feet move any faster. If Orochimaru is smoke in the corner of his vision, Naruto is a weight in his legs, tugging him back towards Konoha, towards –

Sasuke doesn’t know if “home” is the right word anymore.

He doesn’t want to think about that yet.

He knows he’s injured. He brought himself to the point of exhaustion fighting Naruto, and he knows he’ll recover, but –

Physically. Physically, he’ll recover.

He knows the ground is damp and that the smell of rain is the same here as it was back in the village. He knows the sky is still thunderously gray and that the trees will scrape ever so slightly against his calloused skin if he leans on them.

It takes several minutes of this before Sasuke feels ready to examine and list the things he doesn’t know. These are deeper, scarier, somethings that hover over him like a knife prepared to strike, and he thinks maybe considering them will be the only thing that eases the ache.

So he starts.

He didn’t know Sakura’s devotion went deep enough to offer to leave Konoha with him. He doesn’t know whether he should classify that as _loving_ or _stupid –_ but although all of that makes him flinch, he also feels…good about it. She should find someone else to love, he thinks. 

Sasuke doesn’t know much, but he knows he can’t love Sakura the way she wants to be loved. The way, he can admit, she probably should be loved. It’s better for her to learn that now instead of continuing her useless pining. Better for all of them.

Maybe she’ll think about Naruto instead.

That causes a different kind of twinge inside him, and Sasuke decides he’s decidedly _not_ ready to deal with that, so he goes back to listing – as calmly as he can, which isn’t very – the things he doesn't know.

He didn’t know how much more powerful Itachi was. Kakashi couldn’t take him head on, and that makes Sasuke’s fingers flex with rage and frustration. He’s never made any secret of his ambition, so why would they have him train with someone incapable of completing his goal?

Maybe that’s not fair. Kakashi is the only one with a Sharingan, after all.

That sits uncomfortably inside him, too. He doesn’t think the average genin deserting would require quite this level of reaction, and he doesn’t like that maybe he knows what they want. Konoha isn’t concerned about recovering Sasuke; they’re concerned about losing control over their Sharingan and the last Uchiha.

Too bad. Too late. Sasuke _has_ to do this. It’s too late to go back, and Sasuke can’t see another way forward.

There’s so much he still doesn’t know about what he can do, what Itachi can do. Sasuke’s no fool – he knows Naruto’s right, and he knows that in the end, he doesn’t want Orochimaru to take him over. But that’s a problem for another day; for now, Orochimaru isn’t afraid of Sasuke’s power, isn’t afraid to stoke him like a flame and grant him the strength to stand against his brother.

Konoha – Konoha is.

And that includes Naruto.

That’s the final piece that burns in Sasuke, so hot and painful that he can barely think through it. There’s so much he didn’t know, so much he still doesn’t know, but – the top of the list –

He didn’t know it would feel like this, to leave Naruto broken on the ground behind him.

He didn’t know it would feel like physically tearing himself apart, like he’s somehow wrenched some essential piece of himself away and abandoned it in the mud and dirt. It feels like he’s bleeding out, and Sasuke can’t find a way to staunch the wound.

It burns; it aches; it slices and cuts Sasuke up from the inside out. When he closes his eyes, he sees Naruto’s face, twisted with pain. When he keeps his eyes open, he hears him scream about friendship and loyalty. He shakes his head as if to clear it, but –

Sasuke should know better than to think he can ever really get Naruto out of his mind. Somehow while Sasuke was looking away, Naruto wormed his way under Sasuke’s skin and settled there like an extra limb, essential and natural and so clearly, clearly meant to be there that being without him is agony.

He tells himself he’s being dramatic and wishes he believed it.

He wants to turn around. He wants to run back and check on him, lift his head from the mud, protect him from the rain with his own body, cover him and protect him and –

Or maybe just wait until someone from Konoha arrives. Kakashi, most likely.

It’s exactly why Sasuke can’t go back. Kakashi may not be able to go toe-to-toe with Itachi, but Sasuke can’t go toe-to-toe with Kakashi either. Not yet.

So he has to trust them. He has to give up his best friend and hope –

No. Not friends.

Not anymore.

Sasuke turns his face to the sky and pretends the wetness on his face is only rain and trudges on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?? This was another hard one, but these kind of emotional challenges, I like. They take work and thought and effort, but I feel like when I pull it off, it's more worthwhile. Did I do it? :) See y'all next week!


	12. Loud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all just keep on being so kind to me. It's overwhelming in the best possible way. I'm so glad you're enjoying this story!! :) Here's a quick note: Many of y'all have commented that you're excited for Shippuden. First, we aren't QUITE there yet. We've got a couple chapters for both of our boys to process (or not) what's happened a bit. Then when we do hit Shippuden, we FLY through it. Seriously. I do not linger there long. So here's my offer: If I miss something, some big event you think I should've handled, tell me. Let me know. And if I'm able, I'll write an extra chapter and post it sometime during the week without interrupting my update schedule. I may not always be able to, but I'm willing to try. Seem fair? :) I'll do my best! Thanks everyone. Please enjoy! :)

Naruto thinks leaving Konoha will help. Maybe if he doesn’t have to hear Sasuke’s voice over his shoulder as he heads for the training field – only to realize it’s a memory; maybe if he doesn’t see glimpses of him in every dark-haired genin that crosses his view; maybe if he doesn’t have to remember his failure so completely every day, it’ll help.

It doesn’t.

It’s actually worse, at first. Naruto travels with Jiraiya, and he trains, and he _learns._ The world is so much bigger than he ever thought it could be, and the variety of people astounds him.

He wants to ask Sasuke if he’s ever tried these bright red grapes that are so large and heavy with juice – possibly the sweetest fruit he’s ever had in his life.

He wants to tell Sasuke about the time he accidentally mistook Jiraiya’s drink for his and wound up dancing down the center of the remote town until the innkeeper caught him and dragged him back by the ear, her grip firm but kind, and tucked him into bed. Jiraiya made him train until he threw up the next day – which didn’t take too long, considering Naruto’s headache when he’d woken.

He wants to ask Sasuke if he ever fears the power that’s been handed down by his family, if he ever wonders if maybe he’s making the wrong decision by believing in it so intensely.

He wants to know what Sasuke would say the day he tears into Jiraiya’s skin with sharpened claws and a mind gone red with rage. Jiraiya is more careful, after that, but Naruto flinches every time he sees the wound. It’s hard to reconcile pain with progress, but he tries.

He tries.

It’s at night that it’s the worst, the most intense. During the day, he and Jiraiya can fill the space. JIraiya tells stories – some that Naruto immediately wishes he could tell everyone back home and some that he knows he can never, ever repeat – and Naruto begs for training, and they work and they work and they _work._ If he’s lucky, he can work himself until when he falls into bed at night, he’s asleep too quickly to think and too heavily to dream.

If he’s not, it’s harder.

These are the nights he wiggles out of bed and leaves the room, if they have a roof over their heads. Otherwise, he just rolls onto his back. He feels better when he can see the sky.

He closes his eyes and thinks about Sasuke.

If Jiraiya’s deeply enough asleep or far enough away, he talks to him. It’s not so much to fill the space – it’s more that everything Naruto feels for Sasuke, everything he wants to share with him, builds and builds and if he doesn’t let it out, he feels it might explode. Or worse, it’ll wither away, and someday he’ll forget what it was like to have a best friend like this and what it meant to have him far away.

He can’t let that happen. Somehow, someday, he has to bring Sasuke home, and so, sometimes he talks.

Sometimes he just closes his eyes and thinks. He’s been practicing his chakra control, trying to reach the fox, and the first time it happens, it’s an accident. Naruto’s reaching for the monster but thinking about Sasuke, and he feels him suddenly.

His eyes jolt open, and he stares at the sky. Sasuke’s there, nestled deep in his rib cage, in a part of himself he can’t quite touch. It’s like a clear bell ringing from way down inside.

He wishes he could follow it, trace this thread of music back to his best friend, but when he tries, he can’t. It’s directionless except for being _in_ Naruto. He still doesn’t know where Sasuke is, and that first night, he cries himself to sleep, grateful that Jiraiya is too far away to hear him.

He tries to explain it the next morning, and Jiraiya looks at him sharply. “What do you mean?” he asks, his full attention suddenly on Naruto. “Are you telling me you can sense his chakra nearby?”

“No, not like that.” Naruto tilts his head, considering how to explain himself. “It’s more just that…I know he’s out there. And he’s alive. And he’s strong, which means he’s okay.”

Jiraiya looks at him for a long moment. “Kid, you gotta let this one go,” he says finally. “It’s not gonna end well, trust me. Now if you figure out how to find him, that might be an advantage. We could use that. But just staring at the stars thinking about him and how he’s okay? That’s just giving him an opportunity to hurt you. If someone thinks of you as an enemy, you can’t think of them as a friend.”

Naruto doesn’t quite understand. “But Sasuke _is_ my friend,” he insists. “My best friend.”

Jiraiya drops a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Even best friends can become enemies,” he says, and his voice is so heavy with grief that Naruto stops walking. “You can’t do this to yourself, kid. It’s not worth it.”

 _Sasuke’s definitely worth it_ , Naruto thinks, and says out loud, “I promised Sakura.”

“Sakura’s a smart girl. She’ll be fine.” He squeezes Naruto’s shoulder one more time and starts walking again, prattling about how in the next town over, there’s a family that owns just the _best_ hot springs, and Naruto –

“Sasuke’s worth it,” he says.

Jiraiya doesn’t miss a beat as he elaborates on the glorious hot spring system.

Naruto thinks maybe that’s okay. So Jiraiya doesn’t understand. He’s pretty used to being misunderstood, and he knows that this time, at least, it’s coming from someone who genuinely cares about him. It’s okay that he doesn’t get it.

He doesn’t talk about it as much, anymore, but on those nights when he can’t sleep, he closes his eyes and reaches for Sasuke, and as soon as that silver sound filters through his chest, he talks.

He doesn’t know if Sasuke hears him, but he’s pretty sure that if he stops talking, if he goes quiet, his chances of seeing him again someday get smaller.

So Naruto does what he does best: he stays as loud as he can, and he hopes and believes that one of these days, when he sees his best friend again, he’ll be enough to bring him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that's all for this week! Let me know what you think! Thank you so much :) I'm so glad you're here with me. See y'all next Friday!


	13. Misery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!! We're...halfway through? What? How did that happen? This has been such a joy for me, and I'm so excited to share the second half with y'all over the next few months too :) Please enjoy! :)

It takes only three weeks for Sasuke to realize why he left to train under Orochimaru, when the man makes it crystal clear that he wants Sasuke’s power to grow at any cost; that real danger is acceptable to attain that goal; that any jutsu Sasuke wants to learn, Orochimaru is willing to teach.

Well, almost any. Sasuke knows from the start to guard himself – after all, he recognizes that the real prize to Orochimaru is possession of his body someday, but the fool doesn’t seem to realize: this bonfire he’s started is a flame that will burn his forests down.

It takes three months for Sasuke to realize that this sixth sense, this tug at the edges of his senses that whispers of blond hair and blue eyes and a laugh that’s inappropriately loud, isn’t going anywhere.

He tries to block it out, but it gets louder, loudest in the quiet times when Sasuke tries to sleep.

It’s infuriating. He ignores every whisper of Konoha he hears from Kabuto, from Orochimaru, from the stream of shinobi and spies that filter in and out of Sasuke’s world at an alarmingly steady pace. He doesn’t want to know. It doesn’t matter.

(Still, he learns. He hears that Sakura is training under Tsunade, that there are rumors she will become even a better medic than her mentor, that she split apart a training ground with a single punch. He hears whispers about Kakashi becoming more influential in the village, that he’s challenged the roots of a secret training program, that he’s become a trusted advisor to Tsunade. He doesn’t want to know this things, but he _hears_ them, and even though he shuts down any flutter of response in his heart, they still settle into his mind, unforgettable facts, and he feels their growth like a fishing line hooked into his soul, tugging when he least expects it.)

It’s harder to ignore the rumors about Naruto. There are more of those, and these, they whip into Sasuke’s skin like a thousand needles, like Haku targeting all of his nerves all over again, and Sasuke knows that Orochimaru’s doing this on purpose.

He’s testing Sasuke. He wants to be sure that that relationship, of all of them, is severed, and so Sasuke makes sure not to react. He doesn’t change his expression when Kabuto tells Orochimaru that the Kyūbi nearly tore Jiraiya apart the other day – the legendary man no match for the power under Naruto’s skin. He knows Kabuto’s waiting for his reaction, so instead he sheathes his blade with a click and asks, “Are we here to train or not?”

And Orochimaru is pleased, and Sasuke thinks again, for all his power, he’s a fool.

Kabuto is not the only source of information Sasuke has.

So he listens, even when he doesn't want to hear anything at all. He hears more than just the story of Naruto’s rampage and the distrust the people so often have in him; he hears rumors of an unruly blond teenager traveling with an old white-haired man, a boy who trains until he drops and who charms every person he comes across, whose desire to help runs so deep it breaks down every barrier the people try to erect.

And that? That’s the Naruto Sasuke knows, and it settles his soul, just a bit, that for all his power, Naruto remains the same bumbling, loquacious idiot he’s always been.

These stories don’t happen every day, every week, or even every month, but they become a source of stinging pain and the balm that soothes it, a loss that's sharper than he wants to admit washed over by assurance that he's _okay_. Naruto's okay, and Sasuke doesn't - doesn't care, he can't care, but -

It helps, in those quiet times, when he struggles to sleep.

Even if Sasuke suffers for it later, because he _does._ Every single day, he struggles to cut off that part of Naruto he can feel wisping along the edges of his consciousness, and every _fucking day –_

He fails. He doesn't even have to hear one of the rumors, doesn't have to catch even a syllable of Naruto's name for that damn idiot to - 

It infuriates him. He grits his teeth, and he trains, and he fights. He fights hard enough to block Naruto, to pretend that it doesn’t matter, that it _never mattered_ because Sasuke is an Uchiha, and all that matters –

All that matters –

Itachi.

Itachi is all that matters, and there are days that Sasuke hates him for it even more than usual.

He learns, too, how much more there is to Konoha. Orochimaru tells him the story of Naruto’s birth with glee, declaring with amusement how badly the fourth Hokage had wanted Naruto to be recognized as a hero and treasured and how the village had simply left him to suffer instead. He never tells Sasuke what, exactly, Itachi and Kisame wanted with him that day, but that, Sasuke learns from other sources, and it makes him sick.

The day he hears of Gaara’s death and resurrection, he trains hard enough that when he excuses himself to throw up, Orochimaru thinks nothing of it. The fear and anger that wrack his body – how fucking _dare_ Naruto continue to be so damn _stupid_ , throwing himself at these people –

Well, he thinks, wiping his mouth and sitting on his knees, if he has no value for his own life –

It’s a good thing he and Sasuke aren’t friends anymore. That they were never really friends in the first place. Everyone else will move on. Naruto will too.

He doesn’t know why that thought makes the nausea return. He’s not sure he wants to know, and so he shuts it down even harder. He tries to carve away every piece of himself that Naruto has ever touched, and he’s at loss when he discovers it’s like trying to cut away his blood.

So maybe he can’t pretend Naruto never happened.

It doesn’t change the truth: Sasuke left that friendship and that life behind to bleed and suffer in the mud, and there’s no coming back from that. He made sure of it.

He ignores the whispers. When he goes to sleep at night, he recites the signs for a complicated jutsu and the newest kenjutsu he’s learned. He trains his mind to hear and feel nothing else.

It doesn’t work perfectly, but over time, he finds he can control it. He can shut down that curiosity, that longing, even if he can’t quite ignore the feeling deep inside that Naruto’s out there, somewhere, looking for him – as impossible as it is – and he locks out everything he can and lies down to rest.

But when he sleeps, he dreams of foxes with blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Did I ride that balance well of thinking-about-Naruto but refusing-to-think-about-Naruto? Let me know :) See y'all next Friday! :)


	14. Negligence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are simply the best. THE BEST. Have I mentioned that? :) 
> 
> Big time skip here. This takes place just after the Five Kage Summit. Please enjoy! :)

It’s been a long time since Naruto’s thought of Konoha as sunshine and rainbows. He knows. He knows there’s darkness in the village. It isn’t as if he’s forgotten the pain of his loneliness and the isolation of his childhood. He knows the way he was treated wasn’t fair.

The thing is, he _gets_ it. Part of him understands – they were a scared people doing their best, and even though it wasn’t fair, it was all they could offer him. And he doesn’t want anyone else to ever go through that again, and that – that includes – all of them.

Naruto’s seen and felt the absolute destructive icy power of hate, and he knows it’s love that saved him, love that helped him save Nagato, love that can change and take the hate in the Kyūbi to something else entirely. Naruto knows the power he’s chosen to use has nothing to do with hate. He knows that he needs to forgive Konoha to love them, and he’s done it. He’s at peace with what’s happened. Naruto loves his home so much, and it's worth everything he's suffered.

So no, it’s not as if he’s under some delusion that Konoha is an ideal society. He _knows –_ but this – but _this –_

Nothing the village has ever done to Naruto has even once hurt like this.

He doesn’t know how to talk to Kakashi or Yamato. He can’t even look Sakura in the eye. He doesn’t know how to explain that everything he’s fought for, everything he believed in –

It all masks what was never the tragic psychosis of a child but the horrific manipulation of a man full of fear. Naruto doesn’t even know, right now, what he’d say to Sasuke. All he wants to do is hold him and tell him he’s sorry, that there’s more than evil in this world, that he _understands_ but that they can make it okay –

And part of him wonders if that would be a lie.

“Naruto.”

He jolts, suddenly, as he’s jerked back to reality. His knuckles are bleeding and rough, the tree in front of him damaged from the force of his hits. “Kakashi-sensei,” he says, in a voice rubbed nearly to blood with the friction of screams he won’t let free.

Kakashi’s hand lands on his shoulder, tugs him back ever so gently. “I’m so sorry,” he says, and the words are as empty as Naruto knew they’d be, hollowed out by grief and held together simply by the love Naruto knows Kakashi has always, always had for him, for Sasuke, for Sakura.

The sentiment may not mean much, but the love does, and it’s enough for him to turn to face his teacher with the raw devastation in his eyes. “I don’t understand,” he admits, and the tears are there, now, boiling over with agony and grief. Sasuke’s hate – his desire to hurt, to burn the whole world down in the face of his pain and rage – it breaks Naruto apart, that he’s feeling this way, that Naruto can’t – he can’t make this better – he can’t fix it – he can’t tell him it’s lies or that it’s okay, because it’s _not_ and he doesn’t know how to stop Sasuke’s world from ending when Naruto only showed up in the blood and ashes of the final act. “I don’t know how to help him, sensei. I don’t – he shouldn’t have to feel like this. Never. But he’s feeling it alone and that – that’s wrong.”

It’s all wrong. All of it. But Naruto can’t change, can’t solve, can’t fix any of the past. All he can do is try to reach Sasuke _now_ , and now –

Now his best friend is broken and bleeding from the inside out from a wound that Sakura can’t heal and no one else can see, and Naruto can’t _help_ and this is the worst he’s ever fucking felt.

“I know,” Kakashi tells him softly, “I know,” and then he’s pulling Naruto into his arms and letting him break apart with grief and sorrow and anger and pain.

“He’s still wrong,” he says eventually, the words coming out fractured and grieving but sure. “Hate doesn’t – it won’t help him, sensei. Hate doesn’t help anyone. I have to make him understand that. I _have_ to.”

Kakashi’s quiet for a long moment, staring over Naruto’s head before he finally sighs. “Naruto, I don’t know that anyone can change Sasuke’s mind now. You saw how he responded to us and what he’s done. I don’t know that he’s cursed like Madara said, but you can’t change a heart that won’t be touched.”

Naruto shakes his head violently and pulls away so that one of Kakashi’s arms falls to his side and the other rests only loosely on his shoulders. “I can. I _know_ him, sensei. He’s just in pain and doesn’t know what else to do with it. But that’s not who he is. Cursed – I don’t know who Madara fucking thinks he is, but he’s wrong.”

Kakashi chuckles, and it’s such a foreign sound that Naruto smiles too, and then they’re both laughing together at the horror and absurdity of everything. “I assure you,” Kakashi says when they’ve calmed sufficiently to allow words again, “Madara knows exactly who he is – or at any rate, who he’s pretending to be. Sasuke has chosen a different –”

“He hasn’t chosen anything yet,” Naruto snaps. He crosses his arms and looks Kakashi directly in the eye because it is _so important_ that he understands this. “If he’d chosen, I’d be dead now. We’d both be dead. He couldn’t do it. I’m not going to let it happen. He’s my best friend, and I’m going to bring him home.”

He’s prepared for a denial. For the first round of a fight that he knows is coming when they finally get back home.

Instead, Kakashi’s face softens around the edges and he only says, “If anyone can, Naruto, it’s you. But you need to know that the odds of that succeeding are more or less zero.”

Naruto shrugs. “It’s Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei.”

He doesn’t know what else to say, which is probably going to make the fights he still has to have that much harder, but it’s the only argument Naruto has to explain what’s happening in his heart. He can’t choose. He _won’t_ let Sasuke be another casualty of the village’s negligence and the hate of the past.

He’ll break the cycle.

Whatever it takes.

And when Kakashi simply cocks his head and tells him to go to bed, he knows he may not believe him, but at least he understands, and for tonight, that just has to be enough.

“I hear you, Sasuke,” he says to the stars once Kakashi's returned to camp. “I hear you, and I promise, you’re not alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I have been struggling to write Naruto's perspective from day one, and this was the first time it felt like it flowed more naturally. Did it work? What did you think? See y'all next week! :)


	15. Obstacle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, happy Friday! I don't know about y'all, but the last week has just kicked my ass, so I hope it's been better for y'all, and if not, hoping for a better week this time around! Thank you for all your kindness - it really is a bright spot for me, and I'm so grateful. Please enjoy! :) <3

Fucking – _Naruto._

Sasuke seethes. He’s left Karin and Jūgo and Suigetsu behind at the camp. He needs to breathe. He can’t look at them – can’t think about them – can’t even –

Fucking _Naruto._

He roars fire into a tree, searing it to a crisp, leaving the outside blackened and burned and ruined beyond repair. Everything is broken and nothing matters and Sasuke wants to _burn the whole world to ash and watch it die –_

And he can do it. He knows he can do it – could’ve killed Sakura today, could’ve killed Kakashi – protectors of Konoha, liars, fucking _complicit_ in the murder of his family, complicit in Konoha’s decision to kill him –

And then Naruto.

Fucking – _Naruto._

Sasuke hisses his name through his teeth and tries to breathe evenly. He feels like fire is coating his throat and chest, aching to come out, but there’s something else there, something twisted and crying in agony like a child left alone, and he can’t – he _can’t do this._

He saw into Naruto’s heart. He can still see it, still feel it, as if Naruto somehow reached inside him and set every piece of Sasuke’s dead love and joy alight, reminding him what it was like to feel more than fury and pain and betrayal, and Sasuke…

Sasuke wants to see Konoha burn. He wants to see _Naruto_ burn, except – except that –

He doesn’t. He wants to see Naruto walk away from a village and a system and a people that betrayed him and betrayed Sasuke. He wants him to admit that love _doesn’t matter_ because love doesn’t stop leaders from manipulating a child and killing their people, doesn’t stop a brother from destroying his family, doesn’t stop a friend from promising assistance but being willing to stab him –

Love, Sasuke knows, doesn’t do _shit_ about the hell that is the world, and if Naruto would just admit that, Sasuke could gladly set everything on fire and burn himself down with it.

But Naruto _won’t._ He won’t and damnit Naruto – Sasuke doesn’t understand why he won’t just give up. Sasuke needs him to give up. He can’t keep doing this. He can’t feel this fire and this rage and this hatred and have Naruto constantly come and try to douse it in love as if that could actually ever fucking be enough.

As if that could bring his family back.

As if that could save Itachi.

As if that could redeem Konoha.

As if that could redeem Sasuke.

He falls to his knees. He stretches out his senses, making sure that no one is dumb enough to approach him right now – and what he feels makes him recoil back into himself, _hard –_

He thought he’d gotten over this, when that sense of Naruto had weakened, over several months in the last year. He thought – he thought –

He knows now how wrong he was. He doesn’t know if it’s because he’s just seen Naruto or if it’s because he understands, again, how clearly and desperately Naruto not only loves him but believes in him, the utter determination that Sasuke is –

Something he can’t be. Something he never was.

If Naruto thinks Sasuke can simply walk away and forgive, he never knew him at all. Sasuke knows that, but –

Naruto didn’t look at him and see someone else. Sasuke feels seen to the fucking bone, stripped bare and left naked under Naruto’s eyes, eyes that see and know too much, no matter what Sasuke tries to show him. And now he can feel those eyes again, hear that laugh, feel that strength in his chest and in his veins, _unfuckingforgettable_ and powerful beyond belief.

Every time Naruto shows up, he shakes Sasuke to the soul, uproots and replants him in the same heartbeat, and then he leaves and Sasuke – Sasuke –

Sasuke’s left to regrow wherever he’s been abandoned, lost, alone, uncertain of everything except the anger and rage and grief that grows with every beat of his heart. He remembers, vaguely, as a child, being told that _time heals all wounds_.

Sasuke thinks sixteen _fucking_ years should be plenty of time, and these wounds, they only get deeper and rawer with age, and how _dare they_ say that, when they were surely celebrating the death of the Uchiha, the disappearance of a threat that had yet to manifest in all its fullness and danger –

Sasuke can’t help the snarl of pain that escapes him as he bends in half, forehead to the ground, knees digging into the dirt, hands fisted in his stomach. He _hates_ Konoha. He hates the people and everything they’ve done so much that it burns away anything else. This is why he needs to destroy, to ruin, to punish, to avenge, and he knows it, but even as the flame rages away inside, it leaves blue eyes and a voice ringing clear with a love that’s somehow fireproof.

Not that it matters. Naruto will, eventually, be won over by Konoha.

By Sakura, who never intended to join him.

By Kakashi, who would have killed him if given the chance.

Sasuke wants to pretend those things don’t hurt. After all, aren’t they exactly what he asked for? Enmity? Hate? Distrust?

They’re sure as hell what he _expects_ , these days, so it doesn’t quite make sense why they came as such a shock, like salt rubbed into a cut when he realized these, even these people, were no longer safe.

Naruto, though. Fucking _Naruto._

Sasuke peels himself off the ground, wiping the dirt furiously off his face and glaring at a sky that is unfairly reminiscent of his best friend.

No.

His used to be friend.

His enemy.

His enemy who fucking _refuses_ to behave like an enemy, like the moron Sasuke’s always known him to be. His enemy who insists on calling Sasuke his friend, whose very presence tilts Sasuke’s world on its axis and leaves him in this strangely unbalanced sense of rage and pain. Sasuke’s grieved enough. It’s not fair that Naruto forces him to lose him all over again every _fucking_ time he sees him.

Naruto, who refuses to choose. Naruto, who won’t break his ties with Sasuke no matter how Sasuke tries to destroy them.

Naruto belongs to Konoha and Sasuke both, and for that – for that more than anything else, Sasuke thinks, he must burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! We made it! Sasuke's has felt all the feels he could possibly feel in such a short time. This was such a complex part of him to tackle, and I sincerely hope I did him justice. What did you think? See y'all next Friday! :)


	16. EXTRA: Shippuden Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! So I know I haven't replied to everyone yet, and I will get there before the next chapter goes up, I promise! <3 But I had some extra time today, and sasukelogy had asked to see something about their initial reunion in Shippuden, so I thought I'd deliver what I had :) Sasukelogy, thank you for being so kind and not making me feel pressured! I hope this little snippet from both perspectives gives you a little of what you wanted. Please be patient with me as this is very much a first draft and a bit wandering, but I thought, better something than nothing :) <3 Please enjoy, y'all!

It _hurts._

It fucking _hurts_.

Sasuke – doesn’t understand. It feels so – raw. Wrong. Off. He’d been so – so ready, when they showed up. Ready to confront them, ready to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was no longer the weakened kid who’d left Konoha –

He threw every taunt he had at Naruto – hurt him in every way he could – pushed every button he knew. And yet – yet Sasuke knows when he saw Naruto, he ran to him. Was at his side before he even realized he was moving.

He wonders if their new teammate hadn’t stopped his blade, if Naruto would be dead now.

It makes bile rise in his throat both to consider it and to realize he rather doubts it.

He _had_ him. He blamed a whim, the first battle, a blatantly transparent lie, but this time –

Sasuke has no explanation. Not really. He doesn’t like killing unnecessarily, maybe, but the circumstances would have left him justified.

And yet everyone lives to see another day, and he can’t begin to explain the relief it makes him feel.

Or the strange sense of horror and discomfort upon seeing the Fox inside Naruto. The Kyūbi. The monster that somehow boosts Naruto’s power and chakra.

Sasuke knows how much it can change Naruto, how much strength it can give him, and yet – Naruto uses none of it. Needs none of it.

And he’s fucking grateful for it, not because he doesn’t think he could take Naruto if he used it – that’s another test he doesn’t really want to take, and he's not sure if he's more afraid he'll pass or fail – but more because he doesn’t understand how something with so much hatred inside it could ever survive inside Naruto, and the idea of it – corrupting him – changing him –

Sasuke _hates_ it.

And those fucking _words –_

As if Sasuke doesn’t know he’d regret killing Naruto with every fiber of his being. As if he needed the Fox to tell him that. And that makes it even worse, that after all these years, after all this time, being bound to Naruto is still less a choice than a simple fact of Sasuke’s life.

He’s more powerful. He’s grown more. He has new techniques, more power, more strength, more control – and he preens in the knowledge, vindicated by their weakness in his decision to live Konoha, and that makes him feel like maybe he can stand proud.

But then Naruto.

Sasuke can’t think clearly, can’t wrap his mind around what’s happened. How can something so simple as seeing him affect him so powerfully, even after all this time?

And the worst part –

Naruto still worries about what happens to Sasuke. He isn’t worried for himself. He’s worried for _Sasuke_ , and Sasuke doesn’t – doesn’t understand.

How? How can he – be like this? It’s childlike, almost, this devotion and belief – the way he admitted he’s trained for Sasuke rather than to be Hokage – his complete lack of understanding that Sasuke’s life means nothing to him as long as he can achieve revenge –

It makes no sense at all.

So he’ll move on. He _can_. He _will_.

He won’t dream of Naruto’s eyes tonight. He won’t dream of anything at all. Not if he has a damn thing to say about it, never mind that he never has in the past - 

Naruto doesn’t matter anymore. He’ll break these bonds.

Even if it kills him to do it.

* * *

All Naruto can see is Sasuke vanishing in flame in front of him.

He sees it when he closes his eyes. He sees it against the background of the sky. He sees it when he sleeps, when he eats –

He feels his loss all over again, viscerally in his bones, a grief and failure lodged deep in the certainty of his own weakness and inadequacy, and he weeps because he doesn’t know what else he can do.

His best friend, whose eyes stayed locked on him until the very last second, is gone again, and there is absolutely nothing Naruto can do to bring him back.

Again.

He won’t give up. He won’t. He _can’t._ He remembers what it felt like, even for that heartbeat, to stand side by side with Sasuke against the Kyūbi, Sasuke’s hand stretched out against it almost – almost protectively.

He knows that if he says that out loud, he’ll be called crazy, and maybe rightly so, and so he doesn’t. He stays quiet, but he knows, somewhere in his heart, that for just a moment, they were on the same page.

He wonders what would have happened if Sai hadn’t stopped Sasuke’s sword. Would he be dead? Would Naruto have been able to react in time?

He…doesn’t think so.

But he doesn’t think he’d be dead, either.

He knows Sasuke, knows him better even by the day now, he thinks, and Sasuke – is faster than that. He appeared at Naruto’s side faster than any of them could move. He didn’t need to telegraph his movements. He didn’t need to warn Naruto or taunt him.

No.

If Sasuke wanted Naruto dead, he’d be dead. Naruto’s gone over it every possible way in his head, and he’s sure of it.

Which means Sasuke still wants Naruto alive. He might say it’s a whim, might even believe it, but Naruto knows the truth: there’s still something between them, binding them together too tightly for anything to break them apart, as long as Naruto holds on.

He will never, ever let go.

He stares into the horizon as they travel, lost in his thoughts, silent for once, taking in Sakura’s presence, and Sai’s, and Captain Yamato’s. He’s not alone, now, and he has hope. Maybe next time will be different, because now Sasuke knows –

Naruto hasn’t given up on him. He never will. Not _ever_.

And the bullshit about Sasuke’s life not mattering – that’s a lie too. And if Sasuke won’t stand up and value his life, then Naruto sure as fuck will. He won’t let Orochimaru take him. He’s never deserved Sasuke, not even for a fucking moment, and Naruto will never, ever stop fighting for Sasuke.

Sakura touches his arm lightly, and he turns to give her a smile. “It’ll be okay,” she says.

He nods. “Of course it will. I promised, didn’t I?”

It’s not about that, though. Maybe it never was, but Naruto doesn’t think it really matters.

No matter what happens, he’s bringing Sasuke home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this little extra made y'all happy! :) <3 I'll see y'all Friday, and I'll respond to everyone - well, certainly before then :) Thanks for your patience and understanding!


	17. Pick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are just - so kind to me. So much so. I'm so, so happy y'all are enjoying following along with this. It really means a lot. :) 
> 
> Um this is probably the most canon divergent chapter I've written so far... So bear with me, because I think it's important. Please enjoy! :)

Naruto’s staring at an empty bowl when Sakura finds him. It was full of ramen, sometime ago, but it’s been empty, and he – he can’t quite make himself order another.

He’s so, so tired.

He barely feels it when she gently takes his arm and leads him away, only half notices when she leaves money on the counter for Teuchi. “I got you,” she says, and he nods, and it’s enough for now.

He only really starts to focus when she pushes him – hard – onto the couch, and he realizes they’re in his apartment. Sakura stares down at him, hands on her hips, before folding herself down on the cushion beside him, legs crossed, and taking one of his hands. She starts working the muscles, carefully kneading each bruised joint and strained tendon and says, “Okay. Talk.”

He wants to make a joke, to brush her off and pretend he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. He doesn’t want to deal with this. He’s had his heart broken so many times this year that he honestly is at a loss – the damage done to the village by Nagato; learning the truth behind the death of the Uchiha; seeing Sasuke torn apart and in so much pain he was almost unrecognizable; coming home to his friends ready to kill the most important person in his life – Naruto doesn’t want to talk about any of it, for once.

He doesn’t know what he can say that he hasn’t already said, and he tells her so. “There’s not really much to talk about, Sakura.”

Her eyes flit up briefly over his face. “Bullshit.”

“You heard what I said. I’ll handle Sasuke. They – they don’t have to worry, okay? And you don’t either. I’m the only one who can take him, anyways.” It’s not a brag, not today. It’s just a statement of fact, not lingering in pride or grief or any other nameless thing that Naruto would have once attached to this. The need to beat Sasuke has long been eclipsed by the need to protect him, to bring him home, to heal him and make it okay, and he thinks after all this time, Sakura should probably know this.

“I didn’t mean that.” Sakura’s pace doesn’t falter, and Naruto feels himself relaxing. She’s not unduly gentle – that’s never really been her thing – but she’s strong and certain, and he can feel the strain of months of overtraining start to slip from his fingers. “I’m just wondering how you feel about Sasuke to make all of it worth it.”

He immediately clenches his fingers into a fist and pulls back. “He’s my best friend, Sakura. You should know that.”

She rolls her eyes and pinches at a pressure point in his wrist, smirking when he yelps and lets her resume her massage, immediately alleviating the pain she caused. “I do know that, dummy. But would you do this for me? For Kakashi-sensei? Or Shikamaru? You don’t think it’s just a _little_ weird he’s the most important person to you? It’s not like you don’t have friends, you know. Lots of us love you.”

He lets his palm drop back open and tries to relax. “I don’t – it’s different.”

“I know. I’m asking how. And why.”

“I don’t know! It just – it just is.” Naruto drops his head into his free hand and groans. He’s a little afraid of what he finds if he opens this box. He knows, really, that there’s something about what he feels for Sasuke that’s other, different from how he feels about everyone else. How he loves Sasuke...is not the same as how he loves them.

It’s just – scary.

“I don’t get it,” he admits, lifting his head as Sakura tugs at his hand, switching her attention to it as the other falls to his lap. “I love all of you guys, you know? But Sasuke’s different, so if this isn’t love, what is it?”

She’s silent for a long moment, biting her lip as she rubs at a particularly tender part of the heel of Naruto’s hand, and he flinches. She doesn’t apologize and says instead, “But what if it’s actually love, though?”

He frowns. “I just said that.”

“No, not – not like you love me or Kakashi-sensei or Gaara or Shikamaru. What if it’s…like how I loved Sasuke? When we were kids?”

Her touch doesn’t falter, but Naruto knows her well enough to feel the hesitance in her words, and it makes him feel a little bit better that he doesn’t know how to answer. “I don’t…I don’t really think so, Sakura.”

She tilts her head to the side, looking at him carefully. “Maybe that’s not the best example,” she says, allowing him to breathe for just a moment. “Because I let go. I moved on. I don’t know if the Sasuke I loved still exists, and even though I love him, I can’t…keep doing that. Keep hoping for him to feel something I know he won’t or can’t. I have to let go.”

Naruto scowls.

“Shut up.” She lets go of his hand and flicks his forehead, irritated. “Not all of us have this driving need to bring him home at the cost of everything else, dummy. But I think the fact that you do says something.”

“Says what?” He’s being belligerent now and he knows it, but he’s scared. He doesn’t know what happens if he admits out loud that yes, Sasuke is the most important person to him in the world – yes, his happiness matters more than anything, anything else ever has – that without him, Naruto would be someone completely different – that with Sasuke at his side, Naruto is the best person he’s ever been –

“It’s okay,” Sakura whispers, and she tucks herself into his side, sliding Naruto’s arm around her shoulders as he starts to break down, crying hot, heavy tears at the suddenness of this realization, this understanding, into her hair. “It’s okay to be in love. He does tend to bring that out in people. It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” he chokes out hoarsely and clears his throat. “It won’t be. Not until I bring him home, Sakura. I need him to come home. _He_ needs to come home.”

“I know.”

“I need him to be okay. He should be happy, Sakura, it’s not fair –”

“I know.”

“I love him.”

“I know.”

“I love him _so much –”_

“I know. I know. It’s okay, Naruto, I know.”

He cries until he can’t cry anymore, until everything is out and lying in tearstains on her shirt, and she puts him to bed with her usual sureness, promising to see him in the morning.

It’s not enough – nothing but bringing Sasuke home will ever be enough – but it’s what he needs, tonight. He doesn’t talk to Sasuke, not now, but he keeps his heart open and hopes beyond hope that somehow, someway, Sasuke knows.

After all, he usually does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay okay so I feel like I owe an explanation here - I said at one point that Sakura would get character development. And let me tell you, in my original outline, she has...so much more scene time. And I just kept writing her out because it never felt right? But now we're here? And I needed this version of her? So I just...did it anyways... Sorry, y'all, I know it's not my best work, but I tried several different versions of this because I really needed this scene to happen, and this was the best one. I really tried, and I hope you enjoyed it anyways. See y'all next week! :) <3


	18. Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL. You're good for my heart. This project has been good for my heart, and y'all have been a huge part of that. I look forward to posting every week now! <3 Happy Friday. Big time skip again - post war. Please enjoy! :)

Every piece of Sasuke’s body aches. His eyes burn; his muscles groan; and his very bones seem to crack under the strain of the last few days. Physically, he knows he’s never been in worse shape, as evidenced by the sudden lopsided appearance of his body and the phantom ache of limb he’d sacrifice again if it meant he ends up here.

He’s here. Near Naruto.

He’s not alone.

Physically, Sasuke is beyond trashed, but his mind –

His mind hasn’t been this still and calm in years.

For the first time in so, so long, he has nothing to fight – nothing to destroy – no ghosts whispering in his ears that he’s the only one who can avenge them –

Well. Maybe they’re still there, a little, but they’re quieter.

Sasuke thinks, for the first time in he doesn’t know how long, that maybe, just maybe, things will be okay.

He’s in a hospital bed. He’s woken up on and off enough to know that. Enough to know a few things, in fact –

Firstly, that he has not yet been forgiven, but with Kakashi likely to be named next Hokage, Naruto seems overly confident it’s only a matter of time.

Secondly, that because he hasn’t been forgiven yet – a concept that still rankles, that Sasuke somehow needs Konoha’s forgiveness, instead of Naruto’s, Kakashi’s, Sakura’s – he has been confined to this room. And that they wanted to do much more, but Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi had stood firm: Sasuke was not to be moved until his wounds were treated and healed. He heard Sakura champion this fight, as such a respected healer, heard her argue until all her opponents were appropriately cowed and Kakashi patted her on the back and in the bed next to him, Naruto cheered.

Thirdly, that Naruto won’t leave his side.

Sasuke can feel him here, now. Naruto has his own bed, but he seems much fonder of the chair beside Sasuke’s. The moron managed to heal at a rate that Sasuke finds both ridiculous and comforting: killing this man, he knows, will be almost impossible for anyone but him –

And for him, well. It’s impossible on a different level, if he’s really being honest.

And yet, Naruto stays. He has the ability to leave – he _should_ leave – everyone in the village and beyond wants to see Konoha’s hero – Sasuke half thinks the reason Naruto spends so much time in that stupid chair is that his bed is more or less overflowing with gifts by now – love from well-wishers –

Promises from a village that never deserved Naruto’s love but received it anyways that someday, someday soon, Naruto will have anything and everything he’s ever wanted.

It makes Sasuke’s heart ache in all the wrong ways – and all the right ones, too.

“Hey, asshole. I know you’re awake.” Naruto nudges him, and Sasuke –

Well, honestly, at this particular moment, Sasuke can’t deny him anything, either. He’s no better than the village, he knows, and he won’t do any less for Naruto than they will. Anything Naruto asks of Sasuke – it’s his. Unquestionably.

It’s always been his, really.

There’s never been anyone Sasuke sees as clearly as Naruto.

He opens his eyes and rolls slightly so that he’s facing him. Naruto’s collapsed half on the bed, pillowing his head on his one remaining arm. His eyes are bright and open, wide and joyful, but still –

Worried.

Sasuke hates that, the worry in Naruto’s eyes, especially when he’s the one who put it there.

He wonders how many times he did that, over the years.

Naruto scowls and prods him in the side, hard. “Quit it, asshole. I know what you’re thinking. Just stop. Everything’s gonna be fine now, alright?”

Instinctively, Sasuke wants to look for the lie, for the falter in Naruto’s voice, for the tremor that betrays his doubt that anything can actually be okay, but yet – he knows better.

This is Naruto.

There’s never really been any doubt.

“You don’t know what I’m thinking,” Sasuke says obstinately, “moron.”

Naruto laughs. “Do so. Stop worrying. It’s all gonna be fine. Kakashi-sensei will be Hokage soon, and then believe me, you’ll be pardoned, and everything’ll be okay.”

“That’s not it,” Sasuke admits, a little more gently. He doesn’t want to ask this, but he – he needs to know. And Naruto needs to know, deserves to know, that anything he wants from Sasuke, he can have.

Anything at all.

Naruto props his head up on his hand, elbow digging into the worn hospital mattress and tilting Sasuke’s weight ever so slightly towards him.

Sasuke rolls with it. He’s so beyond the shame of wanting to be close to him, at this point. If Naruto doesn’t know now, well.

To be fair, Naruto’s always been a bit of an idiot.

“Okay,” Naruto says, eyes focused solely on Sasuke, bright and open and filled with – “What are you thinking, then?”

The words come out before Sasuke can think them through properly. “What does the word ‘friend’ mean to you?”

To his astonishment and delight, Naruto floods red, dropping his face to the sheets. “Told you,” he mumbles against the blankets, the side of his face hot even through them against Sasuke’s hip. “You hurt, I hurt. Aren’t you supposed to be smart or something?”

Sasuke reaches out slowly with the one hand he has left and gently pushes at Naruto’s jaw until he looks at him again, eyes wide and soft and embarrassed, and asks, “Am I just a friend to you then?”

Naruto bites his lip.

“Naruto,” Sasuke says, as gently as he knows how. It still bites too much, and he flinches, but –

“No, you idiot,” Naruto mumbles, face tilting into Sasuke’s palm, but his eyes never leave Sasuke’s. “You’re – you’re not. And you know that. You’re – you’re the most important person. Ever. And it’s – it’s okay, you know, if it’s not the same for you. You know I don’t – I don’t think you owe me – I mean, I fucked up a bunch, so it’s not like – fuck, Sas – I don’t know – you don’t have to –”

Sasuke presses his thumb over Naruto’s mouth, effectively shutting him up. “Usuratonkachi,” he whispers, the words half-sticking in his throat, “you absolute _fool_. It’s the same for me.”

Naruto lights up from the inside out, almost glowing as he shuffles closer to Sasuke, more than halfway on the bed now. “Really?” he asks, delighted, as if he can’t fathom how Sasuke could –

He’s such an idiot. He’s such an _idiot_ – how could he not know that Sasuke’s entire world revolves around him, how he rewrites reality to make it whole, make it better, make _Sasuke_ better –

“You’re an idiot,” he says, the only answer he has, and Naruto’s bold and sudden kiss to his palm has them both flushing and looking away.

“Your idiot,” Naruto mumbles, and Sasuke’s hand falls to wrap around Naruto’s wrist.

“Yes,” he says quietly, and he thinks –

There’s still a lot to fix. A lot to figure out.

Physically, Sasuke has never been worse. Mentally, he still has too many ghosts to fight.

And still, he’s pretty damn sure –

This is by far the happiest he’s ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! I know it's a big skip, but I couldn't figure out how to pause the war to show their thoughts. We will have a little more reflection on that, but it's coming up more in the future. If you have time, let me know what you think! :) See y'all next week <3


	19. Residence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all just made me lose my mind a bit this week :) I'm so, so happy you liked the last chapter so much!! I hope this one holds up. We're not done quite yet, folks :) Please enjoy!

The pardoning doesn’t come as a surprise, exactly, but Naruto doesn’t realize how worried about it he’s been until the word comes through and he can feel the knot in his chest relax and tension fade from his shoulders. Thank fuck. Thank _fuck_ Sasuke’s pardoned – that Naruto doesn’t have to fight for his life anymore –

Sakura’s hand lands between his shoulder blades, a firm and comforting weight that makes him suddenly aware of how much he’s trembling. He turns and beams shakily at her, feeling light and weak and happy and too many other things to name.

She smiles back with a slight roll of her eyes, presses her hand a little harder, and then lets it fall back to her side. “That’s great news, Kakashi-sensei.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Kakashi runs a hand through his hair, visible eye slipping closed for a moment before the exhaustion slides off his face and he turns a bright look on them. “It looks like Team Seven could be whole again, if we want it to be.”

The tension immediately returns, stiffening Naruto’s entire body from his toes through his neck. He knows better. “Kakashi-sensei, I don’t think that’s – things aren’t –”

Sakura’s hand is back, on his arm this time, and she squeezes lightly. “I’m not sure Sasuke’s ready for that, sensei.”

Kakashi sighs, and his smile turns a little sad as he looks at them. “Yeah… You know, I thought you would say that. I haven’t talked to him yet, of course. I figured you’d want to be there, Naruto, and Sakura, you too, if you’d like. He’ll have the option, naturally, to come and go as he chooses.”

He’ll have the option.

Naruto knows that. Of course he knows that – how could there be any other option? Service to Konoha as a requirement of being pardoned – well, Naruto knows that that’s not real freedom, and he knows it’s never what Kakashi-sensei would ask.

Still.

He also knows this means Sasuke will leave.

“Can I tell him?” he asks suddenly. “Alone, I mean? Just – just at first. It’s not that –” He breaks off, frustrated, and rubs at the back of his neck, trying to figure out what he wants to say. “It’s just that I want a chance to talk about this with him without him thinking we’re all…just waiting on his answer, ya know?”

Sakura punches him on the arm. “No. But I’ll leave right after you tell him, okay? Just let me be there to walk him outside once we get those seals off.”

“Yeah, I kind of have to be there, Naruto.” Kakashi chuckles. “But, like Sakura, I’ll give you both your space afterwards, too.”

Naruto flushes. He knows that – knows better than to have asked. But he also knows, somewhere deep inside, that Sasuke’s going to leave, and honestly?

He doesn’t want to share even a minute of the time he has with him before it happens.

The walk to the cell is short, and Naruto feels his step get lighter and bouncier with each landmark they pass. Whether Sasuke stays or not – whether he’s here or not – he’s safe. And he’s okay. And he – he _knows_ how Naruto feels –

Even if Sasuke leaves – even when Sasuke leaves, it won’t be like last time. It’ll never, ever be like that again.

Naruto won’t let it be.

When Sakura peels back the seals from Sasuke’s eyes and Kakashi explains that he’s been pardoned, Naruto can’t help himself. He launches himself at him, balance still a little off, and Sasuke shifts to catch him, arm sliding around his back. “Usuratonkachi,” he mutters, breath at Naruto’s neck for just that second before Naruto pulls away, laughing.

He thinks it’s probably unreasonable for an insult to make him so giddy.

He also thinks he doesn’t care.

He beams at Sasuke, who doesn’t – well, he doesn’t smile back, exactly, but there’s something more open about his eyes, soft around the edges, like – sort of like when he used to indulge Naruto as kids, the days he'd buy him ramen after sparring and pretend he just didn't want to wait for Naruto to count out his change.

It makes his stomach flip and tighten, and he starts bouncing on his heels as they walk outside and Kakashi explains that Sasuke’s welcome to any part of the Uchiha compound, or to stay with any of them, of course – and Sakura firmly reminds him that he’s still to check in with her prior to leaving for a final medical exam –

Naruto literally can’t contain himself anymore. “I know you’re going to leave, but can we at least get ramen first?!” he blurts out, half-jumping in the air, watching Sasuke’s face turn to him, amused.

Kakashi and Sakura both snicker, and Kakashi says, “Well, I guess we’ll leave you two to figure all that out. We’ll be around if you need us.”

Naruto feels himself turn red and quickly turns away mumbling that it’s not that big a deal and they can stay around, but before he’s finished, a hand tugs lightly at his sleeve, and he looks up to see Sasuke smirking at him with a raised eyebrow, Kakashi and Sakura walking away in the distance.

“I see you still haven’t learned how to shut up,” Sasuke says, starting a slow, lazy pace in the opposite direction.

“Wh –” Naruto huffs and hurries to catch up, smacking Sasuke on the shoulder. “I’ve learned! I’ve gotten – I beat you!”

Sasuke gives him a smile so small and soft that Naruto feels his brain short circuit because has he ever seen that look on Sasuke’s face before? He wants to see it again, and he’s so busy trying to figure out how he can make that happen that he completely misses what Sasuke says. “Wait!” He grabs at Sasuke’s arm again, turning him towards him. “I didn’t – I wasn’t lis – I didn’t hear you!”

“Of course not.” Sasuke stops walking as Naruto pulls at him, and he meets his eyes with the sort of intensity Naruto can’t help but match. “I have to leave,” he says, and Naruto knows –

Well, he hears what Sasuke’s really saying: _Please don’t ask me to stay._

His heart aches. “I know,” he says quietly, refusing to look away from Sasuke’s eyes as he tries to make his own plea without saying it out loud: _Please don’t ask me to go._

He can’t leave. Not yet. And Sasuke can’t stay. Not yet.

“I know,” Sasuke echoes, and he starts walking again, only to stop after a few paces. “But it won’t be like last time, Naruto. I’ll come back.”

Naruto laughs, slaps Sasuke on the back, and tries not to blush when he lets his hand run down Sasuke’s arm to grab his wrist and pull him forward. “Sasuke,” he says, snickering, “it’s not like I’d ever let you go for good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! That's it for this week, but there's certainly more to come :) I hope y'all are okay with the separation - I struggled with this a bit, but it feels most true to the characters for me, and since that's the gut instinct I've been following, it made sense to me to keep doing so. Let me know what you think! See y'all next week <3


	20. Split

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I'm just really so very grateful for you and your kindness :) Thank you for loving this little project as much as I do! I know the end notes are a tad long, this time around, but please take a moment to read them. Thank you! Please enjoy :)

Eighteen months.

It’s been eighteen long, long months since Sasuke’s stepped foot in Konoha, and he can’t…quite bring himself to go there again.

He wants to. Fuck, he knows he – he _wants_ to. That isn’t the issue, but –

It isn’t like he hasn’t seen Naruto, anyways. He knows precisely how hard Naruto has worked to make sure that not a month goes by without him seeing Sasuke, and Sasuke gets a letter at least once a week from him. Occasionally, that delivery will be supplemented by notes from Sakura and Kakashi as well, along with the rare attachment from Shikamaru asking him to please look into certain matters.

Sasuke doesn’t particularly care for Shikamaru, but since the letters clearly come with Naruto’s blessing – fine.

And it only takes a couple of times before he recognizes the pattern. Every stranger he investigates, every assassin lurking in the shadows that he exposes, is targeting Naruto.

Sasuke doesn’t particularly care for Shikamaru, but he thinks maybe when he gets back, he owes the man a drink.

On even rarer occasions, the letters are brought physically, instead of by Sasuke’s hawk. These are extras, always with some excuse. Once it was Konohamaru, clearly sizing him up. One particularly interesting morning, Sasuke woke to find Kakashi stretched out asleep against a tree several paces away, letter still clutched in his hand. He’d been worried for a moment, until he’d woken him and discovered that his old sensei was simply desperate to escape Hokage duties, if only for a moment.

Sasuke’s okay with this, the way life is. It’s not enough – not nearly enough – nothing less than everything, everything with Naruto will ever be enough – but it’s so much more than what he deserves, and he finds he can’t ask for anything more.

He thinks, sometimes, that Naruto will move on, one of these days.

He doesn’t understand why he hasn’t already, honestly. Sasuke – Sasuke knows exactly who he is, and as much as he can match Naruto pace for pace, he’s also hopelessly bitter, lost, _cold_ – Naruto’s opposite in every fucking way, and Naruto deserves –

Well.

Certainly more than Sasuke.

His letters have started to fade, too, Sasuke knows. They trail off, rambling in a more disjointed way than usual. Whenever Sasuke pushes, he blames stress over becoming Hokage in the coming weeks, but it feels like more than that, and when it comes to Naruto, Sasuke trusts his instincts. There’s something the idiot isn’t telling him.

He’s sitting on a boulder thinking about this, trying to craft the words perfectly enough to get Naruto to just fucking _talk_ to him and thinking how much _easier_ this would be in person, but for the first time, Naruto doesn’t seem to have anything planned for them this month, when it happens.

He’s so absorbed in his work, so _frustrated_ by Naruto’s bullshit, that he doesn’t realize it’s coming until the ground splits open beneath him and he springs up, leaping lightly to the side, Sharingan spinning –

Onto pink, pink hair and a fist covered with dust.

He relaxes, slightly. Of all the visitors he’s gotten, Sakura has never been one of them, leaving anything she has to say to Naruto and letters. “Sakura,” he says, unsure of how to greet her, and then panic drops like a rock in his stomach. “Is Naruto –”

She waves a hand dismissively. “He’s fine. You, on the other hand? You’re getting rusty. I never should have gotten this close.”

He frowns. She’s right, but – Sasuke doesn’t really want to give her the satisfaction of hearing him say it.

She rolls her eyes. “Okay. That’s it. I know you’re not one for the small talk, so here it is: it’s time for you to come back to the village.”

Sasuke stiffens. “You don’t get to decide that,” he says, words coming out faster than he can weigh them and decide if they’re too cruel. He hasn’t forgotten what he owes Sakura, can never forget, but –

She shrugs, leaning casually on a tree and crossing her arms. “Well, neither of you will, so I am. I'm not saying permanently, but right now? He needs you back, Sasuke.”

“Then he should ask.” He turns his back on her, trying to pretend that the words – that they don’t light up fire inside him and call at something deep, some instinct that’s always screamed at him that if Naruto needs him, there’s nowhere, nowhere else he can ever be.

“He won’t – because he’s an idiot who thinks you need this more than you need him, but…”

“But?”

“I think we both know the truth, Sasuke,” she says softly. “You’ve never really needed anything else. So I’m asking you because he loves you too much to say it himself. Come home. Help him. He works way too hard, and he barely listens to us. Not like he listens to you.”

Sasuke actually lets a brief laugh slip out at that, and tilts his head back to raise an eyebrow at her. “He,” he tells her flatly, “has never listened to me a day in his life. Or have you forgotten every single interaction we’ve ever had?”

She snorts. “Okay, yeah, fair. But I mean – Sasuke, I’ve had to knock him out to make him get some rest before. Shikamaru tricks him. Kakashi has to get him to physically exhaust himself. So come home because he’ll listen to you about that."

Sasuke feels again that something in him ache and break because nothing should ever, ever hurt Naruto, never leave him exhausted and worn to the bone – never again, not since Sasuke –

He looks her dead in the eye. “It’s a two-day distance to Konoha.”

She grins. “Bet we can make it a day and a half.”

He moves before her sentence is even finished because honestly, if Naruto needs him, it’s never been a question.

“I’ll make that moron go the fuck to bed,” he mutters.

“Bet you will,” Sakura snickers behind him.

He decides maybe it’s best to pretend he doesn’t hear her.

Even if the red around his neck maybe does give him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we skipped over the actual growing part - kind of. We'll have some discussions about it in the future, but mostly, I also think there is SO MUCH to work out together and in Konoha, that I wanted to dwell more on that. Our boys have been separated long enough. I'm ready for some good communication work in the same location :) Let me know what you think! :)
> 
> So here's the extra long (but important) end note. So next week, my partner of the last eleven years will be coming home after fourteen months stuck overseas. I am beyond excited. Ecstatic. I cannot wait for my human to be home, and I'm taking that week off work, as well. Here's the catch: I don't think I'll be anywhere near fandom next week. All my attention will be on my person and our home, and I'm...not willing to give that up. So instead of an update next Friday, the next chapter will come the following Monday, so ten days from now. I'm really, really sorry, y'all - I struggled with this, but ended up concluding that this is what I need to do for us both. So I hope you can bear with me and that's okay. I'll see y'all in ten days! <3


	21. Trait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! I'm back :) Thank you so much for your kindness, patience, and understanding over the last ten days. I am by far the happiest I have been in 2020, and it was such a relief to take some time and not have to worry about anything else. Now, I literally could not have planned this, so it feels quite serendipitous to me that now that I've had my reunion, I get to give you Sasuke's and Naruto's :) Please enjoy!

Naruto is…tired.

He rubs at his eyes, the bandage catching roughly on his skin. He knows better, knows the solution: take a break, like Sakura has been forcing him to do from time to time, like Iruka and Shikamaru have been lecturing him to do, like Kakashi does whenever he needs, but Naruto knows how much work has to be done.

He just thought that in eighteen months, they’d be further than this.

He’s going to be named Hokage in two weeks. It’s been planned for months, and he’s ready – he is. He knows that in order for Konoha to take the next step – well, it’ll be a lot easier when he has the name and the pull of leader rather than just the status of war hero and Kakashi’s listening ear. It’s time. If he wants to make progress and make it happen faster, he needs to be Hokage.

He just – he thought that when he became Hokage, Konoha would be so much further along.

He thought that Sasuke would be home.

But he’s not, and Naruto can’t ask him to come home. Not – not until things are settled. Safe. Not until he can look Sasuke in the eyes and say for sure that never, never again – what happened with the Uchiha will never be forgotten, and it will never be repeated. But Danzo’s roots went so much deeper than any of them knew, and sometimes it seems to Naruto that as soon as they uproot one tendril, another crops up, and he is so, _so tired_.

He wonders, today, if anything he does will ever be enough, if he’ll ever be able to stamp out that damned man’s legacy for good and raise Itachi’s in its place, the will of fire reigning strong like its people deserve. 

He’s in the classroom, tired, worn down. Iruka’s gone home for the night but left the space open for Naruto, as he often does. Somehow, it makes him feel a little smaller, like maybe his problems can fit in this room and be solved as easily as an equation on the board.

Well. Maybe the equations were never so easy for Naruto either, but whatever.

He’s snickering exhaustedly at his own joke when he hears the door creep open and a familiar throat clear. “Shit,” he mutters, putting a smile on his face and spinning around. “Sakura, I swear I’m headed home in just a – Sasuke?”

Sasuke raises an unimpressed eyebrow, and Naruto immediately rams his hip into the desk, half because he’s tripping over his own feet now - half because he’s not completely sure he’s not hallucinating. “Sas – you’re here?” he whispers, and then he closes his eyes, running a shaking hand through his hair because no, this isn’t possible – he hasn’t even set a date to see Sasuke this month because he hadn’t wanted to – to admit he’s let him down, that he’s becoming Hokage and Konoha isn’t healed yet –

The pain in his hip is sharp, and he’s forced to conclude the hand suddenly resting on his shoulder and lifting him is real, and he dares to look again.

Sasuke’s still there, eyes clear and angry, familiar irritation written on his forehead and in the tilt of his head. “Usuratonkachi,” he says, clearly pissed off, “it’s two in the fucking morning. What the hell are you still doing here?” 

“I –” Naruto realizes a heartbeat too late that he doesn’t, really, have a valid excuse. “Working! I – is it – is it really two? I didn’t – uh, it’s fine, though, because I get up early to train before work, so ya know, if I just – get a couple more hours, I can start again, ya know? It’s fine, Sasuke! I’ve worked harder than this!” It’s true, and he beams at him, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke’ll understand and –

“You – fucking –” Sasuke’s hand slides down to seize Naruto’s wrist hard, squeezing so that he lets go of the pen still in his hand. “How long has he been like this? Why the _fuck_ didn’t you get me sooner?”

It’s only then that Naruto registers that Sakura’s in the room. He feels suddenly vindicated – he _knew_ that was her throat-clearing noise. She crosses her arms. “Really? You wanna have this argument? Where’ve you been, Sasuke?” 

The room suddenly feels tense, and Sasuke’s grip on Naruto’s wrist tightens again, so it’s almost painful. 

Naruto clears his throat. “Um – Sas – it’s okay. I know – we’re doing what we need to. And Sakura, you know that, too. I know you do.”

She shrugs. “Sure. Fine. But anyone could see how worn out you are, and sometimes, there’s no excuse.” Her eyes lock on Sasuke. “Sometimes, you have to take care of the people you love, whether they ask for it or not.” 

There’s another heartbeat of tension, where Naruto isn’t quite sure what’s happening. He’s so tired, but he’s so _happy –_

He drops his head onto Sasuke’s shoulder and mumbles, “Sorry. Just been…a lot. Missed you.” 

Sasuke shifts, and Naruto can feel his breath whisper through his hair when he says, “I missed you too, dumbass. You should’ve told me.”

“Sorry,” he says again, rubbing his face on Sasuke’s shoulder, somewhat aware that he’s – he’s acting a little like Ino’s cat, actually, but Sasuke just – he’s so warm and he smells so good, like home, like Naruto’s finally fucking _home –_

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until Sasuke lets go of his wrist and shifts to wrap his arm around him, instead. “Come on, moron,” he hears him whisper. “You’re going to bed. And you’re taking tomorrow off.”

He laughs wetly, wiping at his eyes quickly and raising his head. “Sasuke, I can’t –”

“I wasn’t asking. Sakura?”

She steps closer, brushing a hand affectionately through Naruto’s hair, and he laughs because it’s so familiar and he knows what’s coming next. “There’s no way in hell,” she tells him, “that I’m letting you back into the office tomorrow.” She releases his hair to smack him lightly on the back of the head, and he laughs again, because he knows this is how she cares – how they both care. “Sasuke knows where your bedroom is, I take it?”

Naruto feels his face turn tomato-red, and he’s pleased to see Sasuke’s do the same. “You’ll explain to Kakashi and Nara?” Sasuke says, tugging Naruto forward.

“Of course, although if you think they’re the early risers, you definitely have been away too long.” 

Sasuke smirks, and Naruto feels like he falls in love all over again, and this makes him realize: he is really, seriously, deliriously tired. “You’re really here, right?” he asks, suddenly distrusting his senses, for no real reason, except that - that this feels far, far too good to be true.

Sasuke leans forward and kisses the corner of his mouth, soft, solid, assured. “I’m here, usuratonkachi. We can talk tomorrow. For tonight, just sleep.”

Naruto smiles. 

Yeah, okay. There’s work to be done, but – 

There’s nothing more important than Sasuke being home, and as long as he’s not going anywhere, Naruto can get some damn good sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie - this chapter brought me joy. I hope it did for you too :) Again, y'all are absolutely and undeniably the best, and I am so very grateful. See y'all Friday! <3


	22. Uncertainty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every week, y'all just make me melt. And jump up and down with joy. Thank you so endlessly much <3 Please enjoy! :)

Well.

Sakura at least hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d told him Naruto was overworking himself. This certainly hasn’t been a waste of Sasuke’s time.

But it’s clear that it’s long, long overdue.

Naruto lets out a sudden, rolling snore next to him, so strong that his head twitches, and Sasuke suppresses a laugh as he reaches out to shift the pillow ever so slightly so that he’s comfortable again. If anyone needs and deserves a day off, it’s this fucking idiot.

Sasuke, on the other hand, can’t sleep.

He can’t leave again. That much is obvious. And he doesn’t – he doesn’t _want_ to either, exactly. No, he doesn’t feel good about Konoha. He doesn’t know that he belongs here, but…

He certainly belongs near Naruto.

Sasuke sits up, shifting carefully out from under Naruto’s flung limbs, and walks quietly to the kitchen. He can at least get some breakfast ready. He’s not sure if Naruto’s been eating well, either, but he finds to his dismay that he wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been living on food pills and the occasional bowl of ramen.

It helps, too, to keep busy. Sasuke’s found, during his travels, that if his hands are busy, his mind relaxes. It’s a small thing, but it matters. The small things always tend to matter most, he’s finding more and more. Whenever he had a particularly difficult puzzle to solve, he’d mend his clothes or sharpen his sword or simply practice different kenjutsu or taijutsu patterns. Naruto had suggested he try meditating, and Sasuke had found quickly that it only worked if his body was occupied in some way.

It had been surreal, the first time he’d seen Naruto meditate. His boisterous, beautiful best friend (and so much more, now), always so uncontainable and unpredictable, suddenly settled into something like a well of quiet power, receptive, soft, and strong.

It had taken Sasuke’s breath away, and when Naruto had opened his eyes and asked Sasuke if it had worked, he’d only been able to say, “No,” because the truth was, he hadn’t even tried.

Not for the first time, he hadn’t been able to look away.

He’s just sliding breakfast onto a plate when he hears Naruto call his name. “In here,” he answers, turning to set the food down –

Which is apparently an excellent decision, as a panicked Naruto slams into him. “What the – usuratonkachi, I could’ve spilled that everywhere – what are you –”

“I thought it was a dream,” Naruto mumbles, shoving his face into Sasuke’s neck. “But I felt – your chakra – but I needed – it’s different to see you. I can’t believe you’re here.”

Sasuke slides his arm around him, gripping Naruto’s hair firmly, first in a quick stroke and then yanking him off so he can look him in the eyes, ignoring his indignant squawk. “I’m here,” he says firmly. “I’m not going anywhere. Not as long as you need me here.”

Naruto laughs awkwardly, rubbing his neck and blushing slightly. “See, uh…Sas – the thing is, I’m probably – yeah, I’m always gonna. Need you, that is. So uh. But it’s okay! If you need to leave. I’m okay, ya know? Gonna be Hokage soon and all that, so.”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. “Do you want me to leave?”

“Do I want you to – fuck, no, asshole.” Naruto scowls at him. “Obviously. But it’s not just about me. It’s about what you want too, you know.”

“I want you,” Sasuke says quietly. He lets go of Naruto to hand him his plate of food. “Wherever. But I will – I’ll need some time. To find a place to stay.”

“That – what?” Naruto stares at him blankly. “But – you have the Uchiha compound, though?”

Sasuke turns back to the stove, picking up the pan again to put the rest of the meal onto a second plate for himself as he tries to explain that the memories there – the feelings there – the empty, agonizing, echoing _loneliness_ and fucking grief that haunts every damn room –

“Oh,” Naruto says softly, and Sasuke flinches. It isn’t fair for Naruto keep carrying Sasuke’s burdens. This is why – why he stays away, but – but even in the fucking war, Sasuke couldn’t leave Naruto’s life and wellbeing to chance; he saw him in danger and _moved_ , like he’s always done since they were thirteen years old, and Naruto may not be physically threatened now, but it still hurts the same, but it’s Sasuke’s _fault –_

“Shut up – Sas! You’re thinking so loud I can practically hear you.” Naruto nudges him out of his head, tugging him by the elbow to sit down to eat. “Look, if it helps, I – uh. I was gonna ask you if – well.”

Sasuke covers the smile that’s tugging at his lips by taking a sip of water. “Yes, moron?”

“I wanna – maybe – use the compound. If that’s okay with you. Like – I don’t wanna move Kakashi. He belongs in the Hokage’s place, and I – I mean, then, if you came home – if you’re gonna stay – maybe we could be – together?”

Sasuke freezes. He takes in every inch of Naruto, still in pajamas, fidgeting, flushing, anxious.

Because of Sasuke.

Because he wants to stay with _Sasuke_.

As if there were any other answer. “Naruto – you _moron_.”

Naruto looks at him nervously. “I – I can’t tell if that’s a yes, asshole. You gotta – you gotta tell me.”

Sasuke can’t help it – he smiles, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on Naruto’s cheek. “Yes,” he whispers. “Obviously. You _idiot_.”

Naruto bursts into happy, glorious laughter, flinging his arms around Sasuke and squeezing him tight – Sasuke barely manages to move the water out of the way –

“Thank you,” Naruto says. “I’m so – even if you leave again, I – I’m so happy, Sasuke – I didn’t – _thank you_.”

Happy.

Because of _Sasuke._

Sasuke doesn’t know, exactly, if it’ll be okay for him to be in Konoha, but this – _but this_ – a happy, laughing, joking Naruto –

If he can make this happen, he doesn’t know how he could ever leave again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all are enjoying these bits of soft as we untangle these threads one piece at a time. I'm a sucker for domestic fluff, and I'm glad to be able to share that with y'all at long last. Let me know what you think :) See y'all next week! <3


	23. Vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about y'all, but it's been a whirlwind of a week over here! Phew! I managed to get this ready though! Y'all are amazing :) Please enjoy! :)

“And Sakura says we can’t live on just food pills and stuff – so she told me to try this recipe, which is supposed to be super simple, but I think she’s just trying to prove a point to Ino, really – but I bought the stuff for it, except for – uh – Sasuke?” Naruto spins in the kitchen, groceries teetering uncertainly in his hands as he looks around. Sasuke was here when he walked in a second ago. He’s sure of it. “Sasuke?” he calls again, slightly more on edge.

There’s nothing but the tiniest of tapping sounds from outside, and he slides the groceries onto the counter and follows them, unsure of exactly what’s just happened. Sasuke trains when he’s agitated, and Naruto gets that – and does Naruto e _ver_ get that – but he doesn’t quite understand where the agitation’s coming from this time. “Sasuke?” he asks, stepping out into the courtyard.

Sasuke’s standing there, sword clean and shining in his hand, tip neatly resting on the collarbone of –

Oh.

“Hey, Shikamaru!” Naruto laughs, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck. “You know, now that I’m living here – with – with Sasuke, and all, it might be a good idea to maybe use the front door. Or knock.”

Shikamaru shrugs, and his eyes don’t leave Sasuke’s. “Seems like a lot of trouble, when we’ve been doing this for so long. You never hear someone knocking, Naruto.” He leans forward ever so slightly, making it clear he’s addressing Sasuke when he says, “I always walk right in.”

Sasuke scowls, sheathing his blade with a whirl and a snap, stalking past Naruto towards the kitchen. “I’ll be inside, then. Do your business.”

“Wh – where are you going?! I need you for –”

“It’s clearly Hokage business. Sensitive. Wouldn’t want a traitor like me in on it,” Sasuke spits with cold venom, and Naruto can’t tell how much of it is directed towards Shikamaru and how much towards Sasuke himself.

Either way, he’s had it. “Okay, that’s – shit.” Naruto groans as Sasuke lets the door slam shut behind him. “Fuck. Okay. Shikamaru, can you just hang out for a sec? I gotta – kick some sense into this asshole.”

“Naruto.” Shikamaru’s voice gives away his uncertainty, and Naruto turns to see him staring cautiously at the door. “You may want to consider the reality of his words. I have no issues with Sasuke, as it stands. But some of the village does. Having him involved may undermine your efforts simply because people will be more likely to question you.”

“That –” Naruto frowns. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would they question it? Wouldn’t they question it more if he’s not involved? I say all the time how important the Uchiha were and are to Konoha. How it’s important for us to tell the truth. If I lie, wouldn’t that make it worse? I’d be doing the same damn thing, Shikamaru. And it’ll hurt Sasuke, too.”

“Sasuke’s tough. And sometimes we lie to protect.” Shikamaru’s hand tugs briefly at his ear, ad he tilts his head to stare at the clouds. “I don’t know that there’s a right way or a wrong way, Naruto. But keeping Sasuke out of things, at least in public, will definitely be the easer way.”

Naruto’s blood boils. “I’m not going to play their stupid games,” he hisses. “What’s the point of trying to make change if I don’t change with them?”

Shikamaru looks at him again, and his face softens as he smiles. “Do what you want, then. It’ll be a pain, but you know I’m behind you. I just want you to consider all your options.”

“You’re wrong. There is a right way and a wrong way. The wrong way is pretending. Sasuke’s in this as much as I am, and he deserves it more than I do. Look, actually – why don’t you come back after lunch, okay? Can it wait an hour?”

Shikamaru sighs. “Mind if I crash in your garden, then? You know the girls will find some errand for me to do back at Hokage tower, but if I’m here, they’ll just think the meeting is taking longer.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Naruto gives a half-grin and waves, reminding himself that Shikamaru isn’t the problem here – he’s not even _wrong,_ exactly; it’s just that the hard way is the right way, and if he can’t see that, then it’s Naruto’s job to make him see it.

And to make Sasuke see it too, apparently.

He comes back inside, carefully shutting the door behind him and heading to the kitchen to see Sasuke brutally chopping vegetables on the counter. “Sasuke? I – uh. Those carrots are probably chopped enough, I think. They’re looking – well, they’re looking kinda mushy, to be honest.”

Sasuke slams the knife down and stalks over to the fridge, wrenching it open.

“Okay, okay! I get it, chill. Look, Sasuke… I want you there with us, whatever he’s discussing. _Whenever_ there’s something to discuss. If you don’t want to be, that’s okay. But _I_ want you there.” He wraps his hand gently around Sasuke’s where it grips the fridge door and feels him stiffen. “I don’t know why you think I wouldn’t.”

Sasuke pulls away from him, leaning back against the counter and staring at Naruto with hard eyes. “I don’t know why you would,” he says, sharp and clear. “I’m sure Nara knows. It’d be a hell of a lot easier for you if you’d just stay away from me. Living here is bad enough. Getting me involved in politics is so much worse. How stupid are you, anyways?”

“Hey, asshole! The whole point of this is that I don’t want to play their games. You deserve to be involved. You’re helpful. You – you balance me, you know? Isn’t that the whole point of this shit? So – so listen to me, damnit! I’m asking for your help, if you’re willing to give it.” Naruto glares at him, not willing to give an inch. Not this time.

He sees it when the fight slips from Sasuke’s shoulders. “You’re – you’re so damn dumb, Naruto.” Sasuke runs his hand over his face. “Why do you have to make everything so fucking hard?”

Naruto grins. “Oh, you’re one to talk, _Mr. Avenger_ , blah blah blah.” He sidles closer, taking a gentle hold of Sasuke’s hips. “You and I, we don’t even know what easy is, and you know it.”

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke whispers, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. “Are you sure?”

Naruto laughs and kisses him, a soft, fleeting touch that barely feels real at all. “About you? Always, asshole.”

Sasuke tugs him in for a longer kiss, and Naruto knows – knows that he knows –

They’re in this together. All of it.

No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit less fluff here, but I wanted to take a minute to explore these dynamics. I hope it worked for y'all too. Let me know what you think! See y'all next week <3


	24. Weapon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, we're almost done. It's almost over! Such a crazy thing :) Thank you so endlessly much for all your kindness each week. It really does brighten my world. Please enjoy! :)

In Sasuke’s defense, it does happen several times before Sasuke actually loses his shit over it.

Kunai. Shuriken. Piled haphazardly in the corner nearest the front entrance, where Naruto casually tosses them every time he comes home. A host of weapons, just waiting for an enemy to pick them up. Sasuke’s tried lecturing. He’s tried asking nicely. He’s tried just dumping the entire pile on Naruto’s lap while he’s sleeping, but even that only produced a chuckle and a half-hearted, “Sure, sure, I’ll put ‘em away.” All this has led Sasuke to believe that Naruto might not actually understand the problem.

Sasuke thinks he can probably be justified for deciding a demonstration is in order.

He keeps his chakra generally cloaked in Konoha these days, although not often in the Uchiha compound. He knows Naruto likes feeling him nearby, deeper than that strange ping in his chest that somehow goes deeper than chakra recognition. He remembers what a relief it had been the day he’d found Naruto felt it too. They were always meant to be together, somehow.

Sasuke shakes himself and leans down to pick up three shuriken and a single kunai, making sure he keeps his chakra concealed this time. No warning. An assassin wouldn’t give any.

He slinks to the kitchen where Naruto’s making dinner, humming and dancing and looking absurdly handsome in a messy apron over his shorts and t-shirt, and flings the shuriken so that two cut the apron strings and one whizzes neatly past his collarbone.

Naruto shrieks, dropping one dish so that it shatters on the floor, hands flying together and eyes flaring gold, but –

Sasuke flies across the room, pressing the kunai firmly against Naruto’s throat, and says, “Dead, usuratonkachi. Will you fucking listen to me now?!”

“Now?!” Naruto squeaks. The fire in his eyes dies down, leaving a very irritated shade of blue.

Sasuke realizes there’s a slight possibility he may have miscalculated this particular maneuver.

Naruto seizes Sasuke’s wrist and twists it, forces the kunai to fall to the floor, and stabs his finger angrily at Sasuke’s chest. “What the hell! What the actual – what the fuck were you thinking?!”

“I’m thinking you need to listen to me!” Sasuke snaps. He pushes forward – because he’s too committed to this plan to back out now, bad idea or not – and slams Naruto against the counter. “I’ve told you so many times, Naruto. When you leave your weapons there, you’re opening yourself to an attack. I need you to _stop_.”

Naruto goes pliant in his hold, eyes softening, and Sasuke realizes he’s screwed in an entirely different way. “Is that what this is about?” he asks. “You’re still upset about me not wearing weapons around the house?”

“I’d settle for you not leaving them at the door like an invitation,” Sasuke says quietly. He lets go and takes a single step backwards. “There’s no reason for it. And if you’ve forgotten, I’ll be happy to remind you that there are plenty of people who want you dead. Stop letting your guard down.”

“Sas – I’m not exactly an easy target, you know. You’re the exception, not the rule. Even if you had hit me, Kurama could have healed me. I’m not alone even when I’m alone, ya know? And we’re safe here. I wish you could see that.” Naruto tilts his head to the side, endearing, soft, and Sasuke’s suddenly aware of the fox listening, examining him, deciding if he’s a threat.

He narrows his eyes. It’s just – too Naruto. Not even the damn beast distrusts him enough to act. Too hopeful, honest, trusting – the same way Naruto turns everyone. “The world is still shit, Naruto,” he says, each syllable clean and sharp. “You might not be, but the world is. Quit giving it an opening.”

Naruto frowns and leans back, hopping up onto the counter so that his legs swing on either side of Sasuke’s hips. “I’ll stop leaving them by the front door,” he concedes, “if it’ll make you feel better. But I’m still not gonna be armed in our house, okay? We’re safe here. The world isn’t all shit. Not unless we let it be.” He grins broadly, and Sasuke feels that electric energy Naruto always carries crackle in the air.

“You can’t change everyone, moron.”

Naruto shrugs, careless and lax, as he always is, and reaches out to tangle one hand in Sasuke’s hair and yank him closer. “Never know unless you try,” he whispers against his lips, and Sasuke –

Well, Sasuke’s not surprised to lose this argument.

It’s not until several days later that it surfaces again, seated at Ichiraku’s at the end of a long day. The sun’s just starting to set, and people are gathering in the streets for some festival Sasuke doesn’t remember. He does try to keep track, but for the most part, he lets the actual activities fall by the wayside. They aren’t generally relevant to his role.

Except in moments like now, when there are way too many people around, and Naruto’s ANBU guard is nowhere to be seen. Or felt, which Sasuke considers much more important. “Usuratonkachi. Did you give Sai and your ANBU team the night off?”

“Wh – yeah! Of course! They deserve some time with their families!” Naruto beams at him, eyes lit with the lanterns, and Sasuke feels his heart –

No. _No_. “You fucking – you’re so stupid. You realize this is when you’re most vulnerable, right?”

“Relax, Sasuke. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Besides, I got you.” Naruto waves a careless hand, smile unwavering. “You think anything’s gonna be able to take us down when we’re together?”

“That’s – that’s not the _point_ , Naruto –”

“Is so. It’ll be fine, asshole – what are you doing?”

Sasuke glances up from where he’s leaned over the stall, politely waving Teuchi away as he slips a dagger out from under the counter. “I’m being prepared.”

“You –” Naruto stares. “You had a knife. Hidden at Ichiraku’s.”

“I have weapons hidden many places,” Sasuke says blithely, tucking the one in question into his cloak. “You’ve proven quite thoroughly by now that you’re a damn idiot who can’t be trusted with his own protection, so you do seem to be my problem these days.”

Naruto blinks before rolling his eyes with a sudden laugh. He leaps to his feet, standing way closer than he should, given the number of eyes on them, but Naruto’s never actually given a damn, and Sasuke finds that he _can’t_ , not when Naruto’s looking at him like that –

“Just these days?” Naruto whispers. “Pretty sure I’ve been your problem my whole damn life, Sasuke.”

“You think you’d learn to be less of one, then,” Sasuke mumbles, leaning forward without meaning to, without thinking –

Naruto laughs and pulls away, leaving Sasuke to tilt dizzily in the suddenly cold air. “Nah. I think you’ll just have to keep learning how to put up with me. Come on – let’s go home.”

Home.

It’s not the first time Naruto’s said the word, but it’s the first time Sasuke’s been sure. This is home. Whenever this damn fool is will always, always be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, only three more to go! What did you think? :) See y'all next week <3


	25. Xenacious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, there are only two more chapters after this. What is even happening?! Thank you so much for making this such a positive and uplifting part of my week. I'm finally starting to look into a next project, which I wasn't sure was going to happen when I started this one. Anyways, please enjoy! :)

The first time Naruto realizes things are really, truly going to be okay, it comes as a shock. He’s been working towards it for so long that he’s gotten used to the struggle and the victory feels – 

Impossible. 

Unreal.

But here he is, standing in the back of Iruka’s classroom, watching one of the  students give a presentation on the history of the Uchiha, and it’s none other than a member of Hinata’s clan who stands up and says, “That’s not right. If we have gifts, we should be able to share them. No one should use them to hurt people.”

It’s enough to make Naruto cry, even if he doesn’t realize it’s happening until he feels Sakura chuckling at his side. “See?” she whispers. “Told you. Knew you needed to see this.”

Naruto scrubs frantically at his face.  “This is – I don’t remember learning any history, really.”

She snorts, getting them both a warning look from Iruka, and Naruto grins at him, too happy to be really apologetic. “Naruto, we had history lessons. But they weren’t like this.” She goes quiet for a long moment as the students devolve into a discussion about whether or not they should raise a statue of Itachi or just something for the Uchiha in general. The most popular idea seems to be a giant red eye, despite Iruka trying to explain exactly how odd and menacing that would be. “They talk about  Madara and  Hashirama now, too,” Sakura says. “It’s not just our history. It’s…everyone’s. All of Konoha’s. You did it, Naruto. Knowledge isn’t a scary thing anymore.”

Naruto laughs, soft, half-broken, overwhelmed, and swipes at his eyes again. “They aren’t – being singled out for power anymore, either. I know – I know it’ll happen, sometimes. I know there are gonna be more kids people want to exploit. I just don’t know…how to stop it.”

Sakura smacks him. “Shut up. We take that one thing at a time. Do you see this, Naruto? Do you see kids learning to care about each other? Not being afraid of differences?  Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“It’s not – not enough, though –”

“It’ll never be enough,” a voice says behind them, and Naruto jumps and yelps. The kids laugh, and Sasuke raises an amused eyebrow at him. “You should work on your reflexes, moron.”

“Hey, I’m – don’t sneak up on people like that, asshole!”

“Language!” Iruka calls. “Alright, everyone, outside. I understand Lee-sensei has some physical training prepared for you.”

The students break out into excited muttering –  _ Lee-sensei? I heard he’s the best. Didn’t he train under the fastest ninja ever? He’s the best  _ _ taijutsu _ _ master there is! _

“It wasn’t that long ago that Lee was laughed at for not being able to do ninjutsu,” Sasuke says, watching them trip over each other to be the first out of the classroom. “There will always be a next thing, Naruto. This…is still good.”

Naruto laughs, half-choked still. “We did it, then? We did it. We – we set the right path. We gotta hold to it, but we –”

“There’s always more work,” Sakura says. She squeezes both of their arms. “This is still a very, very good foundation.”

Naruto thinks she’s probably right.

Maybe, just maybe, he’s done what he’s been struggling to do for so, so long.

And he’s happy – he is. It would be a lie to say that the weight that lifts off his shoulders and heart doesn’t leave him feeling overwhelmingly light, giddy, and proud, as he watches fewer and fewer people flinch at Sasuke’s presence and more and more greet with him kindness and gratitude. Children run up to tell him how amazing he is; a local artist holds a competition to design the best monument to the Uchiha; the representatives of clans with  _ gifts _ as they’re being called now step down to let others lead and share without fear. 

It’s a new world, the kind that Naruto always knew it could be.

So he’s happy. And proud. So, so proud – of his friends, his mentors, his village, for doing what they always had it in them to do, and of Sasuke, who’s never stepped down from any challenge Naruto’s presented. 

He’s happy.

But he’s also…restless. 

He’s started to realize that maybe Konoha doesn’t need him as  Hokage anymore. Maybe he doesn’t need to fall asleep in his office or spend nearly every waking moment forcing the ninja culture onto this path – mostly because they aren’t fighting him anymore. Maybe Sasuke doesn’t need to stay somewhere that still hurts, from time to time. 

Naruto remembers how much softer the slope of his shoulders was when they used to meet outside of Konoha. Sasuke may be content, but he’s not – he’s not –

Not free because he won’t leave Naruto. And Naruto can’t leave Konoha.

Except –

Can he?

What would happen, really, if he picked up and left? 

It doesn’t feel like Konoha would fall apart, exactly, and it’s not like he’d be completely inaccessible. What if – what if he stepped down? Gave the reins to Sakura, who has the entirety of the hospital obeying her word without question – or  Shikamaru , whose steady loyalty and sharp mind have guided Naruto out of more than one pickle – or  Ino , who stood at Hinata’s side and led the change of the clans and now fearlessly pulls them into the future –

Naruto wonders if leaving…might be okay.

If it might bring that spark back to Sasuke’s eyes or loosen the tension in his posture. If he would laugh without reserve all the time instead of just at home, where he’s sure no one can hear him. 

If maybe they have a future they haven’t even considered yet because Naruto’s been so focused on fixing what’s been broken for far too long.

He stands overlooking the village, thinking, waiting, wondering, joyfully, fearfully, heart wide open –

So of course Sasuke finds him.

He always does.

Sasuke folds himself down beside him, fingers running a faint trace across Naruto’s shoulders, a slight comfort. “What’s going on?” he asks, eyes fixed on Naruto’s face, like they always seem to be – like after all this time Naruto still can’t believe they are –

He says it before he can lose his courage. “What if we left?”

Sasuke stiffens. “What?”

“What if we left Konoha?” He turns towards him, towards the sun, the bright brilliance of a world that had never seemed attainable even though he knew in his heart that it had to be. “What if I stepped down? We – could write letters, and stuff. They can lead. What if – we left? Saw the world as much as we can. Saved the world as much as we can. What if we left?”

Sasuke stares at him as if stunned. “ Usuratonkachi ,” he whispers.

Naruto looks back out over the village and leans into Sasuke’s side. “I – I think we should. It’s time. World’s too big to stay here forever. I think we should leave.”

There’s a long silence, broken by the sounds of their people and the song of birds and the inconsistency of the wind. Naruto feels  Kurama stir slightly inside him, tempted, too, by a world beyond these borders, and he wonders maybe if he’s misjudged, if Sasuke wants to stay here now, if maybe this is too much –

“I love you,” Sasuke says, words almost too quiet to hear.

Naruto relaxes.

Tomorrow, then.

He’ll talk to Sakura tomorrow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession time: These last three chapters I had planned out? Yup, I completely scrapped them and started fresh. We're ending very differently than I originally planned, so I really hope it works! Let me know what you think :) See y'all next week <3
> 
> (Also, did any of y'all read KinomiAkai's newest "Lost"? Because I'm OBSESSED and if you haven't read it, go do it!! Completely inspired me!)


	26. Yearn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, y'all, second to last one! I noticed some formatting issues in the last upload, and I wanted to let y'all know I've switched computers, so I'm still figuring out what works and what doesn't. Thanks for bearing with it and please continue to do so as I figure this out! :) Without further ado, please enjoy :)

Sasuke’s half-convinced he’s dreaming.

There’s a muted buzz in his ears that hums against his skin and through his mind, filling everything with static. He can’t quite hear the conversations that are happening; knows that power has been transferred and to whom only because Naruto has stressed so much about it; is so distracted and busy preparing that Naruto calls his name three times and then asks what’s wrong until Sasuke snaps – telling him that this can’t be happening because it’s too – _good –_ and he’s so –

Happy.

Sasuke can barely remember this kind of happiness, if he’s even had it before.

He’s had the world at his feet. He’s had Naruto at his side.

He’s never even dared to imagine that he could have both.

By the time the haze of anticipation and disbelief fades, he’s sitting beneath a tree with a clear night sky above, Naruto curled against his hip, blabbering slowly fading into nothingness.

And Sasuke smiles.

“Finally here with me, asshole?” Naruto mumbles.

Sasuke jumps. He’s sure Naruto had been asleep, but –

“You should know by now. I’m always paying attention to you.” Naruto grins at him, blue eyes bright and alert despite his lazy posture on the ground, sagging uselessly at Sasuke’s side.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and lets his torso do the same, shaking Naruto smoothly onto the ground. “Is that so, moron.”

“Hey!” Naruto swats at him, laughing. “Yeah, yeah, thanks for worrying about me, jerk – that _is_ so, and you know it. You’ve been all – weird, ever since we started this. It – it is what you want, right?”

Sasuke bites his tongue before he can say what he’s thinking, which is that only Naruto could ever have done this much and still somehow worry that it’s not enough for Sasuke, that he somehow has let him down – as if Sasuke could ever ask for more, not then, when he left Konoha – not when he returned – and certainly not now, when Naruto has taken everything he could want and laid it carelessly in Sasuke’s hands, as if it _belonged_ there – Naruto and freedom, all he really needs –

“Usuratonkachi,” he says instead.

“You wanna tell me what’s been on your mind, or…?”

Sasuke looks back at the stars and lets his hand fall to Naruto’s knee with careful, deliberate strokes.

Naruto sneaks a little closer and yawns. “That’s fine,” he says, as quietly as Naruto is ever capable of speaking. “As long as you know that you can talk about it, okay?”

“Naruto.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You know. Do you wanna hear what I’m thinking about then?”

“Do I have a choice?” The jab is half-reflexive, and even to Sasuke’s ears, it doesn’t sound like he means it. He might as well be inviting Naruto to speak.

He supposes he kind of is.

Naruto laughs and scoots, pushing at Sasuke’s arm so that he’s lying with his head on his lap. Sasuke refuses to look down to check if he’s looking at Sasuke’s face or the sky. He’s having a hard enough time controlling his emotions. He doesn’t need Naruto to tip him over the edge.

It doesn’t take long for the talking to start anyways, and Sasuke feels himself smile just at – everything. The wind. The sound of Naruto’s voice. The grass scratching at his ankles.

He thinks he could get used to this.

“Hey! Asshole! Are you listening to me?”

“Absolutely,” he teases, shifting slightly to jostle Naruto. “You were saying?”

Naruto grumbles but starts again without much fuss. “Were you listening? When Shikamaru was giving his – whatever it was, lecture or something? No, you were too busy worrying about whatever it is you’ve been worrying about until now. But he said – they had a lead. On a couple of kids that might be being targeted by one of the smaller villages looking for power.”

Sasuke looks at him. Naruto’s face is serious and set, determined, strong lines that always show every layer of his heart. “You want to go help them.”

“Well, yeah.” Blue eyes shift from the stars to his face. “Shikamaru said we could send them to Konoha, and he and Sakura and Kiba and Ino and – well, everyone, I guess – they’ll all take care of them. Or we could help find somewhere they want to go. Just…let them know there are other options, ya know?”

Sasuke’s heart aches. Of course – what else would Naruto ever want to do with his freedom but help others? “You can’t help but protect, can you?” he says, tucking his fingers over Naruto’s neck and tracing his pulse.

“Like you’re one to talk.”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

Naruto snorts. “You’ve been protecting me basically all our lives, asshole. You got some shit mixed up and people mixed shit up for you, but that doesn’t change anything. We don’t have to go, if you don’t want to, but I think you do. Am I wrong?”

Sasuke looks back up at the sky.

“Saaaassuke,” Naruto sings, poking at his stomach. “Am I wroooong?”

“Shut up,” Sasuke hisses. “No, idiot, and you know it. Okay? Let’s go help them if we can.”

“That’s what I thought.” Naruto looks unbearably smug, and Sasuke squishes his hand over his face, pushing at him.

Naruto squawks and laughs, rolling to press his smile defensively to Sasuke’s stomach. “Quit that, asshole!”

“You like it.”

“Whatever.” Naruto peeks up at him with one open eye. “Is there something else you want to do? Besides help people?”

Sasuke tilts his head. “I should…” he says slowly, and then stops. “I want to check on Taka. Make sure they’re doing okay. I still get letters from Karin from time to time, but…”

“What?! No, we should totally check on them! We can do that first, if you want!” Naruto sits up suddenly, face suddenly serious again. “Sas – we can do whatever you want.”

He looks away.

Naruto presses his forehead to Sasuke’s temple. “I know it doesn’t – feel real. But it is real. And we have all the time that we want to get used to it, okay?”

“Okay,” he whispers, and he feels it when Naruto smiles and kisses his cheek.

“Alright then. Kids, then Taka – or Taka then kids? Maybe they’ll want to join us to help!”

“Maybe.”

“Okay, it’s settled!” Naruto keeps talking, planning out the next few days, weeks of their lives.

Sasuke tunes him out. It doesn’t matter.

As long as he has this, he can’t imagine anything that would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more left, y'all. Everyone here is so kind to me, and I am so grateful each week. Next week Friday is Christmas for me, but I am planning to upload as scheduled. It just may take me a few days to respond to everyone, but I'll get there! I promise. See y'all next week <3


	27. Zero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!! Happy Holidays!! Happy Friday!! :) <3 Whichever one is best for you, please know I am wishing nothing but good things for y'all, today and everyday. We're here, folks, so without further ado - the final chapter. Please enjoy! :)

Naruto has days where he’s not quite sure that this is his life.

He likes it. That’s the problem, actually. He _loves_ it, and on occasion, it feels too good to be true. It feels like this must be a dream, like he’s going to wake up one day and none of this will have happened, but then –

But then he sees Sasuke and realizes it must be real, because – because Naruto can’t make him up. His imagination isn’t this good. And not to mention, Sasuke deserves this. If anyone deserves peace and joy, it’s Sasuke. It’s hard to believe life finally gave them to him, but not hard to believe he earned it.

Naruto can’t believe he’s gotten so wildly lucky.

He expresses this to Sasuke, one day, and the asshole has the gall to say, “It wasn’t luck, Naruto. You made this happen. You ended the war. You saved me. You changed the village. You suggested we leave. You found kids for us to help. We didn’t get any of this by luck. You made it happen.”

“ _We_ made it happen!” Naruto says, determined to make sure Sasuke knows that he doesn’t think he could have accomplished any of this alone. “We. Not just me.”

Sasuke accepts the argument with a very slight nod but adds, “Naruto, without you, I’m dead or worse. Just take the damn compliment.”

Naruto can’t really say anything to that, so he launches himself at Sasuke and kisses him when he rolls his eyes. It’s been so long – years – and yet he still sometimes is in awe that he’s allowed to do this.

He’s so, so happy.

They’ve set up, albeit temporarily, in a small cottage on the borders of Wind Country. They have a quiet place like this in each of the great nations, and they move from time to time, depending on where they’re needed. They follow the whispers of lost children and corrupt governments; as it turns out, Sasuke’s name strikes fear and Naruto’s strikes shame into those who keep trying to take advantage of the peace.

It’s not always a peaceful life, that way. It’s certainly not settled. But it’s good and purposeful and strong, and it means they do spend part of the year near Konoha too, and Naruto’s found that time also heals his soul as he sees his people continue to grow.

He tips his head back onto Sasuke’s shoulder and asks, “How much longer here, do you think?”

He can feel Sasuke looking at him. “Not sure, moron. Maybe a couple weeks. I thought you wanted to see Gaara and Kankuro before we head to Konoha?”

“Mm, yeah, I do. Ooh, I wonder if Temari’s planning a trip! We could travel with her!”

“If you’d like.” Sasuke shifts so that Naruto’s head rests on his chest instead of his shoulder. “You alright, usuratonkachi? You don’t often get impatient to go back.”

He flushes. “It’s not, uh, going back, exactly.”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. “Oh no? What is it then?”

“It’s – I just wanna check on them. On Yuki and Akio, you know.” Naruto fidgets slightly. He knows it’s stupid to worry, but sometimes he just can’t help it. “I know they’ll all take care of them and help them figure out what they need, just like they did with the others, but it’s only been a couple months, and –”

Sasuke cuts him off with a soft kiss. “It’s okay to worry,” he says. “I want to see them too.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, good. We should check in with Gaara this week then!”

“Sure, moron.”

Naruto relaxes again, leaning against him more fully. Sasuke’s hand traces light patterns on his back, as if sensing his restlessness – and hell, maybe he does. Sasuke’s always known Naruto well enough to tell when something’s buzzing beneath his skin. He’s grateful for it and smiles at him to show it, but it doesn’t feel like enough. “Thank you.”

Sasuke pauses. “What?”

“Thank you. For – for a lot of things, really, but – uh – mostly thank you for being with me. I know you – you don’t have to. You could – do a lot of things or be a lot of places, and I still – it’s hard to believe you wanna be here with me. And it makes me happy. So tha–”

Sasuke pinches his side hard, and Naruto yelps. “Don’t thank me for that, idiot. That’s a stupid thing to say thank you for, especially when I want to be here and wouldn’t be here without you. So shut up.”

Naruto laughs. “Whatever, asshole. I can thank you all I want because you don’t have to do any of this shit, but you do, and it makes me happy.”

There’s a long silence, and Naruto thinks Sasuke isn’t going to answer – and he’s fine with that; sometimes Sasuke just can’t quite put things into words right away, and Naruto – well, he gets that – but then he says, “I love you,” and it’s quiet, but it’s strong. The first few times he said it, it sounded fragile, like glass suspended in the air on its way to the floor, but now – now it sounds certain.

It sounds like Sasuke’s never been more sure, and Naruto knows he’s never been happier.

He hides his face against Sasuke’s shirt to conceal his blush. “Love you too, asshole.”

It’s not perfect, not all the time. It’s not been long since Naruto sat outside and cried over all the children they still need to help, all the kids still exploited for power, all the hatred and fear still in the world. But he did it with Sasuke standing guard over his shoulder, silent and watchful. He’s not alone anymore, and those kids? They don’t have to be either.

Naruto doesn’t know if there will ever be enough time to travel enough and meet enough people to change the world, but he knows as long as he and Sasuke can, they’ll keep trying, and that’s –

That’s so much more than enough.

He has his best friend, the love of his life, at his side, the world at his feet, and an endless amount of hope because people, he knows, are ultimately good.

Naruto hangs onto Sasuke and knows: whatever comes, it’ll be okay.

There’s absolutely nothing they can’t handle together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, how? How did we get here? I don't even know. Thank you so, so much for following along with me, whether you left kudos, commented, or simply took the time to read the whole thing - I'm in awe that it's done, and I hope the ending was exactly what you needed from this little tale. 
> 
> I started this project simply to force myself to keep writing during a horrible, horrible year, and I didn't know if anyone else would care - and the fact that y'all did still amazes me. Thank you so much for being such a bright point during such a difficult time. I'm so, so endlessly grateful. <3 
> 
> If you want to keep following along with me, here's what's coming up: January first, I'll start posting a BNHA Kacchako fic, one post for each day in January. It's fluffy and light, and if that sparks your interest, please come join me :) That one also has my secondary reader helping me with it, so it's a bit more polished than anything else you've seen from me. I also have a new SNS fic coming up, likely beginning the week after that. I want to get my outline 100% finished before I start posting, but it's a modern soulmate AU with the same posting schedule Together had, so if that's your cup of tea, please keep an eye out :) And if not, please know I value the time you spent here, and I hope it was very much worthwhile. 
> 
> Thank you again. I value y'all very much <3 Have an excellent holiday season, and I hope I'll see you again! <3


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